I Hate You, I Guess That's Love
by Ben23ten
Summary: Since the moment they met, they've hated each other. There is nothing anyone can do that can change that. Barry Allen and Caitlin Snow hate each other. And that's just the way they both like it. *Snowbarry*
1. It's Not Fair

**Welcome to my first official story. I'd like to thank Brightburn1985 and thomasmarieamell for their support and contributions in helping me develop this story. Just to make clear, this is going to be a rewrite of the series with my own Snowbarry take on it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash**

_**Earth-1**_

_The lights in STAR Labs were going haywire. A loud alarm was sounding and everyone was scrambling to find out what the problem was. Dr. Wells had instructed Cisco and Ronnie to head to the accelerator and attempt to shut it off._

_Caitlin was heading down there as well to check on Ronnie, her fiance. There was a sinking feeling in her gut, telling her that something was going to go wrong and she needed to be down there._

_When she got there, she saw Cisco staring at the hatch as it closed. Ronnie was nowhere in sight._

"_Where is he?" she asked._

_Cisco turned around to face her with grief and shame written all over his face. "Where's Ronnie, Cisco?" she asked once again._

"_Cisco, can you hear me?" Ronnie's voice sounded from the walkie-talkie in Cisco's hand. But where was he?_

"_Yeah, I can hear you," Cisco responded._

"_I've altered the panels in the accelerator, so the explosion will run upward and not outward," Ronnie said._

"_I'll need to recalibrate a few things on my end for that to work. Hold on," Cisco said, handing Caitlin the walkie-talkie before heading over to a control panel._

"_Ronnie?" Caitlin asks tentatively. She can't accept that the man she is going to marry is on the other side of that door._

"_Caitlin, guess we're never going to get to those mai tais we talked about," Ronnie tried to lighten the mood._

"_Don't talk like that. Once Cisco's finished he'll get the door open and we can get all the pizzas you want,"_

"_No, the doors need to remain closed to keep you, and everyone else in the building safe," Ronnie shot down her suggestion._

_The building shook once again. The lights shut down for a full minute before they came back on. A strange sound was in the background that was slowly getting louder._

_Cisco came back after he was finished. "Okay, I'm done. The explosion should be redirected upward instead of into the labs. Now let's get you out of there,"_

"_No Cisco. I've already told Caitlin, you need to keep the doors closed. There's not enough time. You need to keep everyone safe," Ronnie said._

_The impending sound of what Caitlin was sure was his doom, was getting louder until they no longer needed the walkie-talkie to hear it anymore._

"_Caitlin, whatever happens…" Ronnie began to say._

"_Ronnie…" Caitlin tries to speak._

"_... I love you."_

_That was the last thing she heard before the explosion rocked the entire building and probably the whole city. Static filled the walkie-talkie indicating the connection was cut. But still, Caitlin didn't want to believe in what she already knew. "Ronnie!"_

* * *

_**9 Months Later**_

The Particle Accelerator Explosion was 9 months ago, and for the majority of that time, Caitlin was keeping herself busy with her new patient, Bartholomew Henry Allen. Barry to his close friends.

She tried to remain impartial in her work, but sometimes she couldn't help it. At first, whenever she looked at Barry, she just saw another victim to their mistake. She saw him as a way to atone for her failures.

Overtime however, she began to resent him. Hundreds of people had died that night. Yet how was it fair that Barry Allen had managed to survive? The man was struck by lightning and then bathed in what was essentially acid after crashing into his chemical shelf. Then was left there for several hours before anyone had realized something was wrong and brought him to a hospital.

Even if the lightning didn't kill him immediately, the sheer amount of chemicals on him should have finished the job.

Yet somehow he was still alive and breathing. How was it fair that this random man had survived but the love of her life did not?

Okay, that wasn't particularly fair. Based on the amount of people coming in to visit him on a weekly basis, Caitlin was sure Barry meant something to a lot of people. She thought she saw Oliver Queen sneaking in the facility once or twice, but that could have just been her imagination.

But still, that didn't mean Barry Allen meant anything to her. In fact, the only thing Caitlin could associate with Barry Allen was that he represented every lost memory she would have had with Ronnie.

As the days passed, her pain and hurt turned into bitterness and anger at Barry. She knew on a subconscious level that her anger was misplaced and that she was blaming a man in a coma for the loss of her fiance, but at the moment, she just wanted someone to blame and Barry was the easiest target.

She didn't let her feelings towards Barry affect how she treated him as a patient. If Barry were to die, she was sure her guilt would grow exponentially for letting someone else die on her watch, but that didn't mean she had to even remotely like him.

It was just another day in the cortex. Caitlin was looking over Barry's vitals. It didn't make any sense. Based on these readings, Barry should be fine. In fact, his readings showed that he was more than fine. And a strange part was that his body didn't seem like one that had been laying on a bed for nine months straight. Instead, it looked like Barry was getting stronger the more he stayed still. All Caitlin knows is that he didn't come in here with a six pack.

Cisco was at the computers, being slightly annoying. He was blaring Poker Face by Lady Gaga on the sound system and he knew she didn't particularly like this song.

"Why are you playing that music?" Caitlin asked. Her temper was getting shorter and shorter these days. But anger was one of the ways one showed grief. She hoped Cisco knew that. He really was her best friend.

"He likes this song," Cisco gestures to the still form of Bartholomew Allen.

"How do you know that?" Caitlin asks. Not like she wants to know anything more about Barry Allen. She certainly didn't like him already, even if he hadn't done anything to incur her wrath. In fact, he literally hadn't done anything at all since she met him.

"I checked his Facebook page. I mean he can hear everything right?" Cisco pointed out.

Caitlin didn't want to bring pleasure in any form to Barry Allen, but then again, he may not be able to hear anything either. She hoped it was the latter. If not, then she has a lot of explaining to do when he finally wakes up.

"Not always, but auditory functions are the last to degenerate," Caitlin states.

It was at that moment that the still form of Barry Allen shot up from its resting position with his eyes wide open, taking in deep breaths as if he had just been shocked back to life.

"Oh my god, he's awake," Cisco exclaimed.

"Where am I? Who are you?" Barry questions them, taking in his unfamiliar surroundings.

"Dr. Wells, get to the Cortex, he's awake." Caitlin says curtly into the microphone. It was bad enough dealing with him when he wasn't moving and unresponsive, now she's got to deal with all his questions and fidgeting.

Caitlin first tried to set Barry back down on the bed and take his temperature and check his eye's response to light, taking mental notes the entire time. Just as expected, everything was fine. Which was not supposed to happen. Based on his vitals, it was like he was asleep, but he shouldn't be this healthy already after just coming out of a coma. It was impossible.

"Who are you?" Barry tried to ask another question, hoping for some kind of answer to his predicament.

"My name is Cisco, this is Caitlin-Dr. Snow," Cisco informs him.

After Caitlin was done with her current tests, she pulled out a cup. "I need you to urinate in this,"

"Not this second," Cisco pushes the cup away.

"What is going on?" Barry asks, utterly confused.

"Come here," Cisco pulls him away from Caitlin's test, which was fine, she needed to get some things from her cart anyway.

"You were struck by lightning, dude," Cisco reveals to him.

"What?" Barry turns around to look at a monitor, which incidentally focused on his midsection. "Lightning gave me abs?"

"Your muscles should be atrophied, but instead they're in a state of constant regeneration," Caitlin informed him. He was going to be the envy of every guy who was looking to burn off those last few calories.

"Okay listen, you were in a coma," Cisco reveals to him.

"For how long?" Barry asks, shocked to his core. For all he knew, several years could have gone by and he wouldn't have known.

"Nine months, welcome back Mr. Allen." a voice sounded from the entrance revealing a man in a wheelchair. Dr. Harrison Wells.

Dr. Wells took Barry away on a tour of the facility, which Caitlin was grateful for. For the first time in a long time, she felt that she could finally breathe easy. Barry was awake, and would soon be out of her life. If she was lucky, she would never have to lay eyes on him again.

Once Barry was gone, Cisco turned to her. "Are you still harbouring that hate you have against Barry?"

Caitlin didn't want to lie, but she didn't want to reveal that she still did. "And what if I did?"

"Come on dude, the guy hasn't done anything against us. It was pure luck that he was one of those that survived. It's not his fault that he's alive and okay while others aren't. And from our brief interaction, he seems like a pretty cool guy, if a bit confused, but then again, who wouldn't be?" Cisco tries to point out the absurdity of her dislike of Barry.

"It doesn't stop me from not liking him. From what I do know about him, I hate him. I hate that he got injured from our invention. I hate the fact he has so many people that care about him. I hate that he managed to survive from something that should have killed him, and I hate the fact that he's here and Ronnie's…" Caitlin choked as she reached the end of her rant.

Caitlin took a seat to try to calm herself down as a new wave of tears formed in her eyes at the mention of Ronnie.

"I'm a terrible person aren't I? To hate someone that was just on the verge of death not that long ago." Caitlin dropped her head in her hands in shame.

"You're not a terrible person Caitlin. And I don't think you hate him. To you, Barry represents everything that you hate, but you don't actually hate him. You just need to be able to separate the two," Cisco tries to soothe her.

"I don't know if I can Cisco. Besides, it's not like it'll matter. Now that Barry's awake, we just need to run a few more tests to make sure he's okay before he goes on his way and we'll probably never see him again." Caitlin points out.

Barry was soon done with his tour and was wanting to get out of here. Caitlin had managed to clean herself up so it didn't look like she was just crying her eyes out.

When Barry voiced his desire to leave immediately, Caitlin argued saying, "Wait, we still need to run a few more tests to make sure you're okay,"

"Caitlin is right," Dr. Wells agreed. "Now that you're awake, there are several procedures we need to go through before we can release you."

"Really, I feel fine. Thank you, so much for everything," Barry thanked them before rushing down the hall.

He came back just for a second to ask a quick question. "Can I keep the sweatshirt?" seeing as they didn't have any of the clothes he arrived in. The clothes he was wearing during the explosion was destroyed due to the chemicals, so he arrived at STAR Labs in a hospital gown.

"Yeah, keep the sweatshirt," Dr. Wells gave it to him.

"Thanks," Barry smiled at that. He really loved STAR Labs even after he was made aware that they were the reason he was placed in a coma.

"Really?" Caitlin questioned Barry's apparent lack of self-concern. There were so many questions Caitlin had accumulated throughout her time taking care of him that she didn't even know where to start.

Oh well. He wasn't her problem anymore. And she would never have to see him again. If he wanted to risk his health by leaving premature to his official release, then by all means. It wouldn't lay on her conscience any longer. She was finally free of Barry Allen and all that he represented in her mind.

* * *

_**Later that day**_

"You don't really believe he can go that fast can you?" Caitlin questioned the sensibility of her boss after he said that he wanted to test Barry's speed after Barry said that he had superspeed. What, were they in a comic book?

"Well I believe anything can become possible and soon, you may as well," Dr. Wells told her. None of which managed to convince her that any part of this was true, but she was forced to go along with it.

Caitlin was sincerely hoping that this morning would have been the last she would ever have to hear the name Barry Allen, but fate seemed to just love torturing her because a few hours later, Barry returned with the absurd notion that he could move at extreme speeds. Or as he phrased it, 'The world slowed down around me,'

Barry came out of the trailer wearing the gear they gave him, which looked completely ridiculous.

As she was making sure the gear was synced with their devices Caitlin felt Barry's stare on her. "What?"

"Nothing, just notice you don't smile too much," he answers.

"What does it matter to you if I don't smile?" Caitlin snarkily asked.

"Do you have some kind of problem with me?"

"As a matter of fact I do," Caitlin said. "I have a problem with the fact that you are here, and my fiance, the man who I was supposed to marry, was killed in the same incident that put you in a coma. So excuse me if I seem a little standoffish knowing that you survived, but the love of my life is gone. So let's get something clear. I don't like you, you don't have to like me, so until we can show that what you are saying is completely impossible, I have to put up with you for a little longer."

With that, Caitlin walked back over to Dr. Wells and took a seat next to him.

Barry took his position and sprinted into the field at lightning speed. His appearance as nothing but a red blur. Caitlin was keeping track of him with binoculars that also measured his speed. "He just passed 200 miles per hour. That's impossible,"

Okay, so maybe there was some truth to what he was saying before about moving at large speeds. But that still didn't mean she had to like him.

Barry was running in the field and he was doing fine, but he seemed to lose concentration for a second. Then he lost control and hit a barrel full of water.

Caitlin didn't want to take too much pleasure in his pain, but she will admit it was satisfying when she heard a loud crash and the water spraying everywhere. A loud groan originating from there confirmed he was injured and she silently laughed at him.

It wasn't until later that she realized that she would have to be the one to nurse him back to health. Just great.

Barry pretty much ignored Caitlin. He knew she didn't like him in the least and to be honest, he was starting to get sick of her attitude.

"What made you lose your focus out there? You were doing pretty well." Dr. Wells asked, curious.

"I had a flashback of a memory," Barry replied vaguely.

Dr. Wells motioned for Barry to continue as he, Cisco and even Caitlin decided to be quiet and listen to his story.

"When I was eleven my mother was murdered," Barry replied, "Something broke into our house. That something was a ball of lightning. Inside the lightning, there was a man. He killed my mother." Caitlin looked almost sympathetic at him. "What if the man who killed my mother was like me?" He asked.

Harrison Wells chuckled at the notion. "I think I can safely say that you are one of a kind Mr. Allen,"

Barry nodded, and slowly got up off the bed and began to slowly walk out of the medbay.

Cisco nudged Caitlin and pointed his head towards Barry, indicating that she should talk to him or say she's sorry for acting like that.

Barry was already in the corridor by the time Caitlin decided to speak to him. Caitlin ran after him as fast as she could with her heels, she just saw him exit the labs through the back door.

"Hey!"

Barry turned around and looked at Caitlin with cold and uncaring eyes. But said nothing.

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I want to give you all the reasons why I acted that way but that won't justify it. I'm... sorry." Caitlin reluctantly said.

"I'm not accepting your apology, you're not really sorry," Barry said before walking away.

"I am finally apologizing and you're turning it down?! You know what? Fine, just don't expect me to patch you up every time you break something," Caitlin called out.

"I took first aid in high school, I know how to patch myself up," Barry called over his shoulder before continuing to walk away.

Caitlin just watched as he turned down the hall and out of her sight. It was at that moment that Caitlin truly realized that she hates Barry Allen. How dare he suggest that he be capable of administering first aid when he was just a forensic scientist? He operated on dead bodies, not an alive one. He thought he could do her job, one that took years of training, just because he took a few courses in high school?

Appalled at his suggestion, Caitlin decided that she would be the one to get the last word in. So she chased him down to where he was waiting for the elevator.

"Hey! You think you can do my job? You think you can just stitch up a wound or align a broken bone as well as I can?" Caitlin demanded. "I went to medical school for 4 years and graduated top of my class! I earned my degree through hard work and determination, and you think you're just as good as me?"

"Yeah!" Barry yelled at her, "Anybody can do that, everybody can be as good as you, maybe even better!"

"Well I saved your life, so I think you should be pretty grateful. I could have just let you die, but I didn't," Caitlin said.

"Then why didn't you?! If you really hate my guts then you could have just sabotaged my recovery. Why?!"

"I'm a professional that's why. I was trained not to do any harm."

"You know what, you're right," Barry said, making Caitlin smirk at her victory, "We don't have to like each other, because I keep thinking of all the reasons you hate me but I keep coming up blank. You really just hate me. Don't worry, I'll be avoiding you and distance myself." Barry turned to walk away again.

"You know, I don't know what Cisco sees in you," Barry called over his shoulder as he walked away.

Caitlin watched as the elevator indicated it was heading to the ground floor. Who did he think he was? He was practically questioning her entire life choices. Life is hard, sometimes people just need to suck it up and deal with the hand they're dealt in life. He was so ungrateful for everything she did. He was unbelievable.

* * *

Yet again, it was not the last she had seen of Barry Allen, and if things were to continue the way they were, she doubted she would be rid of him anytime soon.

"I wasn't the only one affected by the Particle Accelerator that night was I?!" Barry Allen stormed into the Cortex with eyes of fire.

Dr. Wells just sighed. He brought up the monitor to show a basic retelling of the night of the explosion. "The night of the explosion, we turned on the accelerator, and for 45 minutes I had achieved my dream. We all felt like heroes. But then… there was an anomaly. A small miscalculation on my part. The accelerator exploded and released unknown energy throughout the city. Dark matter, element x,..." as the monitor panned out to show a view of the city with energy readings everywhere.

"Those are all theoretical though," Barry voiced his opinion.

"And how theoretical are you? We've been searching for other meta-humans like yourself,"

"Meta-humans?" Barry questioned.

"That's what we've been calling them. I came up with the name," Cisco told him.

"I met one today," Barry revealed. "His name is Clyde Mardon. He's a bank robber that can control the weather,"

"This just keeps getting cooler," Cisco says excitedly.

Barry just looks at him with anger in his eyes. "This is not cool! A man died because of him." Cisco looks down in shame at the inappropriate comment.

"Mardon must have gotten his powers the same way I did, due to the particle accelerator, meaning you're the ones who gave him his powers, so what do we do?" Barry asks.

"Nothing, we leave this to the police," Dr. Wells dismisses the problem.

"I work for the police," Barry reminds him.

"As a forensic scientist," Dr. Wells points out.

"You actually think the police can handle a person like Mardon? He caused a storm inside a building and created a fog in seconds on the street. Who's to say he won't call upon a lightning storm or a tornado? I can stop him," Barry insists.

"None of that matters. What matters is you!" Dr. Wells yells at him. "Not me, I lost everything and you broke your arm and it healed in 3 hours. Inside your body can be the answer to countless medical miracles and we are not going to lose all that because you wanted to play the hero!"

"That's my decision whether I'm going to do that. I'm not one of your employees you can boss around. I came here because I thought you could help, but clearly I was wrong." Barry starts to walk away. "I always looked up to STAR because I thought they wanted to make a difference in the world. Now I see that you're just a bunch of egotistical jerks," he looks to Caitlin at that particular remark.

Caitlin felt a little guilty about that. His first impression of STAR Labs was her hostility and anger, and she didn't mean to change his view on her workplace, but at the same time, she felt that Barry was acting very irrational in categorizing every one of them in being prideful. Sure Dr. Wells had his moments, but Cisco was always very humble about his accomplishments. He didn't deserve this treatment from Barry.

Caitlin didn't follow Barry because she knew he would be back. He'd try to enlist their help in taking down these meta-humans. Cisco's obsession with comic books would cause him to immediately agree, and Caitlin would grudgingly follow suit. She didn't like the idea of working with Barry Allen, but currently he was the only meta-human they had to combat the others who would decide to use their new gifts for crime instead of either remaining neutral, or taking action to better those around them like Barry.

In that, she could show him respect. Barry could have kept his powers to himself, but he decided to use them to help others. When his healing abilities showed themselves, he had a long talk with Dr. Wells about studying them to help the medical community. That was before he'd stumbled upon their dark secret.

Sure enough, a few hours later, Barry had reappeared with a box of unsolved cases that all dated after the accelerator explosion. Cases that were thought to be impossible.

"Your meta-humans have been busy. I'm not completely blaming you, you had no idea this would happen, but it's your responsibility to help clean up the mess you made. I'm asking you to help me stop them," Barry asked of them, but was focusing more on Cisco than Caitlin.

True to his word, he was completely avoiding Caitlin and vice versa. They didn't want to know each other, they had no interest in one another, but they had to work together to help stop these meta-humans they had created from wreaking havoc.

Despite Caitlin's animosity towards Barry, she started tracking weather patterns for any irregular behaviour after he had informed them of a meta that had the capability of manipulating the weather.

She just got a hit. Temperatures in a barn just outside the city limits dropped in an instant. That doesn't happen normally. "Cisco, tell Barry that the weather in this location has plummeted. It might be Mardon," she pulled up the map on the monitor so he could see.

"He's right across the room," Cisco pointed in the direction of Barry, but Barry turned his back to them to look at the screen.

"I know. Make sure to tell him," Caitlin dismissed him.

"Well Barry, you can't go out like that. You might burn off all your clothes and we can't have that happening." Cisco says.

"Nobody wants Barry Allen to go streaking across the city even if nobody can see you," Caitlin says.

"You would like that wouldn't you," Barry says. "Wanting to get me out of these clothes as soon as possible. If you're in love with me Caitlin just say so,"

"Nyeehh," Caitlin sticks her tongue out at him in disgust.

"Nyeehh," Barry sticks his tongue out in response.

"Children, please. We might be dealing with something important here," Cisco tries to diffuse the situation between the two adults acting like 4 year-olds. "Anyway, to help with your fire problem, I got you this," Cisco pushes some buttons and a small closet lights up to reveal a mannequin with a red suit on it.

"It's a tri-polymer suit made to be fire resistant and friction proof, so you won't risk your clothes catching on fire every time you go for a run," Cisco says. "I originally made it to improve the uniform worn by firefighters. I thought if STAR Labs did something nice for the community, people would stop hating Dr. Wells so much,"

"Thanks Cisco," Barry expresses his gratitude.

"Well? Shouldn't you be going? Meta on the loose and all that?" Caitlin reminds him.

"I'll be on my way Ms. Frosty," Barry calls her as he makes his way to the suit.

"For a guy with superspeed, you sure are taking your time Fleet Feet," Caitlin comes up on the spot.

"Nuh-uh people. Leave the names to me please," Cisco shoots down their attempts at names, but one look to each other and they both knew those names were going to be sticking for awhile.

Barry ran towards the barn, he weaved through the traffic as he ran from the other side of the city to the farm. He saw a huge tornado heading towards the city limits as part of the barn was about to hit Joe and Eddie. He tackled the roof out of the detective's way and checked if they were okay.

Seeing that they were both fine, Eddie was knocked out cold, but nothing to worry about, he turned to see what he was dealing with. "Guys, there is a tornado and it's heading straight towards Central City,"

"Wind speeds are increasing, if this keeps up, it'll be an F5 tornado," Caitlin informs him.

"Great, thank you for that, but how does that help me figure out how to stop it?" Barry replies with sarcasm in his tone.

Both the scientists were silent as they had no idea what they could do to try to stop it. This was outside their areas of expertise, Cisco in machines and Caitlin in biochemistry.

"What if I run around it in the opposite direction, cut off its legs?" Barry suggests.

"Please, that'll never work, you'll have to clock over 700 miles per hour to achieve that," Caitlin says.

"Well nobody asked you Ms. Frosty," Barry yells over the coms. "You're just upset you didn't think of it first,"

"No I'm not," she never would have come up with his idea. "I just know it's not going to work," It was probably their best option right now.

"I have to try," Barry said in response. "Unless the brilliant Dr. Snow has something to suggest?"

"If you want to get yourself ripped apart at those speeds, by all means Fleet Feet," Caitlin challenges him.

"Just do it Barry!" Cisco yells. "And I thought we agreed for you two to drop those nicknames?"

"Not gonna happen," Both Caitlin and Barry said at the same time.

Barry ran towards the tornado and began to circle it in the opposite direction it was moving. Due to his inexperience with his own powers, he began to tire easily. Still, he tried to keep going.

"Ha ha, the suit's holding up," Cisco commented on his invention being able to handle those extreme speeds. Their speedometer measuring Barry's speed increasing from 500 to 600 miles per hour.

"Yeah, but looks like he's not," Caitlin says as she looks at Barry's vitals on her screen.

Clyde Mardon noticed a streak of lightning Barry was creating when he was running and felt the gradual decrease of speed in the winds around him. Annoyed at the person who was questioning his place as a god, he shot a bolt of lightning at whatever that thing was and increased the power he was putting into his storm.

The lightning bolt connected with Barry and sent him hurtling through the air. "It didn't work. He's too powerful."

"Yeah, we can see that. Told you it wouldn't work Fleet Feet," Caitlin says.

"Okay, that is not helping Ms. Frosty," Barry replies. "What do I do?"

"Listen to me Barry, you need to run faster," Dr. Wells rolls up to the screen to talk to Barry.

"Dr. Wells?" Barry asks as he didn't know Wells was still there, or that he wanted any part in this.

"You were right Barry, I have hurt a lot of people in this city and I need to atone for what I did, and it all starts here. Run Barry, run," Dr. Wells encourages him.

Feeling motivated by his hero, Barry takes off once more to try to calm the winds, not letting anything distract him.

Barry wasn't sure why Mardon wasn't shooting anymore lightning, but it was probable that he was inexperienced with his powers as well. He'd never done something of this grand of a scale, he couldn't manage another bolt of lightning without stopping the tornado entirely. Whatever the reason, Barry was grateful as it allowed him to focus on himself and increase his speed to the necessary amount to stop the tornado. He didn't let the burning in his legs or the coldness in his throat from breathing so much hinder him. If anything, it motivated him to keep going.

Giving his speed just one more push, he felt the wind stopping and saw the tornado collapse. It was over.

He took off his mask, because it was getting hot under there, he heard the click of a gun. Turning around, he saw Mardon pointing a handgun at him.

"I didn't think there was anyone else like me," Clyde says.

"I'm nothing like you. You're a murderer," Barry retorts.

Clyde just shrugs 'Oh well' and raises his hand to pull the trigger before another gun fires and nails him in his chest, causing him to stumble backwards and die on the ground.

Barry turns around to see Joe with a gun in his hand and looking at him in disbelief. Barry slowly realizes that his mask was off so Joe knew it was him who had saved him at super speeds.

"Barry? Are you still there?" Barry hears in his comms.

"Yeah, it's over," Barry confirms that Mardon was stopped.

* * *

The next morning, Barry and Joe had returned back to the barn for the official investigation after Joe had reported to the police of the stolen money in the barn and the dead body of Clyde Mardon. What nobody could explain was the impromptu tornado that had appeared, but people were willing to chalk that up to Mother Nature.

"So your powers," Joe tries to say, but he is still feeling the shock from the previous night. "It was the lightning?"

"More or less," Barry confirms.

"I'm sorry Barry. What you can do…" Joe trails off. "You did see something the night your mother died. Henry is innocent. And I called you crazy for it,"

"Hey no, I understand. I probably would have called myself crazy as well," Barry says.

"I'm going to help you Barry. To find the man who actually killed your mother, but you need to promise me something," Joe said.

Barry nods his head in agreement. "Don't tell Iris. I don't want her caught up in all this,"

"Of course," Barry agrees.

* * *

Caitlin didn't know what she was doing. Was she just supposed to accept that she would be working undercover with her boss, best friend, and the most irritable person she ever met to take down other people with powers? It sounded like something taken out of a CW show.

And they were just supposed to trust Barry? They barely knew him for a day and they were supposed to expect that he was going to go along with all this? What if he suddenly decided to turn evil and misuse his powers? What would they do then?

She couldn't believe they had to put up with Barry. Why couldn't Ronnie have developed powers instead? Then they wouldn't need Barry at all. It was so frustrating the way he always had to have the last word against her. At least he seemed to get along well enough with Cisco and Dr. Wells. Still, he was just so annoying that she couldn't…

What was that?

Caitlin looks down at her hands. In her silent rant of rage, she didn't notice when her hands started to produce smoke. No, wait. It wasn't smoke. It was mist, as if her hands were too cold for the temperature around them.

Caitlin looked into the mirror in her bathroom and noticed her lips had turned blue and a streak of her brown hair had turned white. What was startling most of all was that her eyes were glowing.

Her rage replaced with surprise, and the glow of her eyes disappeared. All of a sudden she noticed how cold it was in her apartment. How had she not noticed that before? It was so cold she could barely move.

It was then that she had an idea. Forget the fact that she might be a meta herself, she had just come up with an idea of how to stop Barry should they ever need to.

She grabbed her phone and called Cisco. When he answered, she said, "Hey Cisco, so you know how you were talking about making something on the off chance that Barry might use his powers for something other than good?"

"Yeah?"

"So you know how speed and cold are opposites?" she said.

"Yeah, they cancel each other out. Why do you ask?" Cisco questioned from the other side of the phone call.

"What if you were to create something that could achieve absolute zero? There's no movement in absolute zero, so it should be able to stop Barry no problem," Caitlin says.

"That would be perfect. I'll get to work on it as soon as I can, but once we determine whether Barry's a threat or not, we tell him about this either way," Cisco tells her.

"If it turns out that Barry's harmless to us, what's the point in telling him? He'd understand that we don't trust him completely in the beginning, no point in telling him how much," Caitlin points out.

"I'll make a gun that would be able to lower the temperatures around it. A cold gun! Yes! I still got it," Cisco cheered for himself. "Once I finish it, I'll think about whether I should tell him about it,"

"Goodnight Cisco," Caitlin hangs up.

Once she does, Caitlin looks to the hand that still has mist coming off of it. "What should I do about this?"

Caitlin focuses on her hand and tries to put some energy into it. She isn't really sure what she's supposed to do to activate her powers but pretty soon her finger tips are covered in ice, ending in sharp points. "Cool," she says to herself.

Getting an idea, she flung her hand forward and the tiny ice daggers fly off and embed themselves in her wall. She'll probably be paying for those damages, but it doesn't matter. Like she told Cisco, speed and cold are opposites. She just became Barry Allen's worst nightmare.

She cracked a smile at that. This was going to be fun.

* * *

**So tell what you think. Sorry if I've offended some people in how I portrayed Caitlin, but to be fair, she was pretty cold in the first few episodes. I just thought of what to do if I expanded on that. Not to worry though, it's not going to be like this for too long. Hope you like the little twist I added in the end. Comment any questions, thoughts, or even complaints. I'd like to see what I'm doing wrong.**


	2. Oppositions

**Of course I need to give thanks to my co-authors Brightburn1985 and thomasmarieamell who inspired me to create this story.**

**I'm so glad that a lot of people have taken an interest in my story and I thank those who have given me their positive reviews but I feel I need to address some things.**

**First off, Caitlin is not evil, nor will she ever be evil. She's in a dark place right now and is acting out because of it and her current attitude reflects that. She will be mean and sometimes not very likeable, but she is not going to become a villain. She's just someone who doesn't like Barry and she's allowed her own opinion of him.**

**Next, I'm sure I'm going to receive some hate for this, but I'm not sure if Frost is going to be a character in this story. At least on Earth-1. We might see a version of her on an alternate Earth. Who knows. The reason for this is because Caitlin has a different origin. Here, her powers are a result of the accelerator, not an experiment when she was little. Sorry.**

**Finally, Caitlin's powers won't be of much use during the first season. I've mostly added them because I'm planning something in season two, and it adds some hilarious scenes between the two. It's always fun to create an argument out of thin air with them and their combined powers make for some awesome results.**

**By the way, I will be trying to stick with a weekly update so check in every Friday.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash.**

* * *

Over the next few days, Caitlin didn't see much of Barry Allen due to the fact there hadn't been any meta-human activity since the day they first formed the team. It wasn't until about a week later that she walked in on Cisco talking to someone.

"Who are you talking to?" Caitlin asks him with suspicion. She had a feeling she already knew who he was talking to.

"No one," Cisco answers, trying to remain casual.

"You wouldn't happen to be talking to Barry, would you?" Caitlin asks him once more.

"Who's Barry?" Cisco was trying to play dumb.

"Barry Allen? The man who was in a nine month coma that we nursed to health and woke up being able to run faster than the speed of sound and the man I hate with every fibre of my being?" Caitlin lists off everything she knows about Barry.

"Hate is a strong word, I think you just really dislike him at the moment," Cisco tries to diffuse the situation and redirect her attention elsewhere.

"I do hate him Cisco, every part of him brings rage to myself. He is annoying, arrogant, frustrating, lazy, inefficient, and stop trying to change the subject. Were you talking to him or not?" Caitlin asks one more time.

Before Cisco could try to deny it Barry yells over the comms. "Cisco! There's fire everywhere!"

Fire? What was he doing in a fire? Too bad the suit was fire resistant, otherwise he would have gotten a pretty nasty burn and Caitlin would be able to torture him for it over the time it healed.

"Okay Cisco, everyone's out of the building and safe from the fire. What else you got for me?" Barry asks.

"Hello Bartholomew Allen. This is Caitlin Snow," Caitlin speaks into the microphone.

"Hey Caitlin," Barry says awkwardly, trying to come up with something to distract her. "So what's been going on in your dull life? Nothing? Just as expected. Hey is Cisco still there?"

"Get to STAR Labs, right now!" Caitlin yells at him. "And don't think you'll be getting off from that comment you just made Fleet Feet,"

"Just lay off Ms. Frosty, I don't have to do anything you say," Barry tells her. After a moment of silence he starts talking again. "I'm coming to STAR Labs but not because you told me to. I'm doing it because I need to return the suit,"

"Sure, that's the reason," Caitlin replied snarkily.

Upon Barry's return, Caitlin really lay it into him. "What on Earth do you think you are doing? Are you even thinking like a rational person?"

"I am thinking like a rational person, in fact I think my thought process is superior to practically everyone on the planet considering I'm a speedster," Barry said.

"Increased thought process?" Cisco asked. Barry just nodded in confirmation. "That is pretty sweet,"

"Regardless, you can't keep putting yourself in the line of danger like some super fast firefighter, that's what we have the regulars for," Caitlin insisted.

"Why not? This is what we talked about, me using my powers for good," Barry said.

"We talked about using your powers to be able to take down other meta-humans that decide to use their powers for harm, and other than Clyde Mardon we haven't found any," Caitlin said.

"Well finding the metas is your responsibility, not mine, so get to work, and I'll use my powers however I want. If I can save someone from a burning building, or push them out of the way of a car, I'm gonna do it, and you can't stop," Barry said to her.

"You still have no idea what you are even capable of. Everyone has limits Barry, even you. It doesn't matter if you are unaware of them, they are still there, and one day they're gonna come out and bite you in the ass, and I will laugh," Caitlin said.

Barry got an alert on his phone telling him of his actual job. "I need to head out, some of us actually have work to do," he said before running out of there, forgetting to change his attire.

"When do you think he'll realize he didn't take his clothes?" Dr. Wells commented at the pile of civilian clothing in the med bay.

* * *

Barry arrived at the crime scene only to realize that he was still wearing his suit. He didn't want to run back to STAR Labs and face Caitlin, and his inherent laziness didn't feel like running back home to change, but he got an idea after noticing a store nearby.

Showing up to the crime scene in his new coat, no one suspected a thing, besides Captain Singh commenting on the label still on the coat. "A little fall shopping Mr. Allen?"

"Oh, I was going so fast this morning, I didn't even notice," Barry lightly laughed it off.

Sensing the awkwardness, Barry got to work. Taking a look at the crime scene, Barry was able to immediately tell some key factors. For example, he took some mental calculations in his head and that the footprints were nearly all identical. Size ten men, but they couldn't have come from the same person. There were too many tracks and they overlapped each other too much. Based on the sheer amount, there had to at least be 5 guys.

Barry heard Eddie show Joe and Singh the security footage before the single robber on the video shot out the camera, but Barry was quick to inform them that there were more people than the footage showed. "Actually, the footage may show one guy, but there were five. Look at how the tracks overlap. We're looking for a gang. They're all the same size as well. Size 10 men. Just like you Captain," Barry said.

He quickly realized his mistake as soon as he said it. "Not that you're a suspect sir, just that…" he tried to correct his mistake, but the damage was already done.

"Just get to work Allen," Singh said before going to some other part of the crime scene that didn't involve Barry.

Joe pulled Barry away for a quick conversation. "You know, your ability to multitask truly impresses me. The way that you are able to embarrass me, the Captain, and yourself all at the same time,"

"Joe I'm sorry," Barry tries to say.

"I'm starting to think that's my actual name considering how much you say it," Joe interrupts him.

"It's just I have a lot going on right now. You will not believe what I had to go through in STAR Labs this morning. She is impossible,"

"She?" Joe asked at the mention.

"She. Caitlin Snow. She's supposed to by my physician, but I have a feeling she will leave me to burn if given the chance. She is so stuck-up, and aggressive, and…" Barry begins to rant off.

"And apparently is able to get you this worked up. I haven't seen you act like this since you started noticing girls," Joe pointed out.

"Joe! How could you say that? You are supposed to be on my side of this," Barry asks in disbelief.

"I've met Caitlin before Barry. She's not all that from what I've seen," Joe says.

"Then you haven't really gotten a good look at her," Barry says. "She is a despicable person and I hate her, and she hates me, which is just fine,"

"Hate's a strong word Barry, maybe you're just exaggerating," Joe suggests.

"Not strong enough in my opinion. It's like she was literally created to oppose me in every way," Barry says angrily.

"We'll be having a talk about that, but for now, let's get back on the case," Joe tells him.

"Yeah, let's do that," Barry collects the last of the evidence in a bag and they head off to the precinct.

* * *

Later that day, Barry returned to STAR Labs after attending an event dedicated to Simon Stagg to help Iris with her paper for her course, only for it to be interrupted due to a heist from what was likely the 5 robbers this morning.

When they made off with everyone's jewelry, Barry tried to chase them down, only to experience a fainting spell. He had no idea what caused it, forcing him to come back to STAR Labs and have Caitlin examine him.

"I told you that you wouldn't be able to survive without having me look you over. You are so lucky that I have my morals and won't let you die, otherwise I would let you figure this whole thing out yourself," Caitlin said.

"It's not like I asked for this. If you want to leave, leave. Nobody's stopping you. I can figure this out myself. I haven't been feeling light headed since I got my powers. It's not medical since I have enhanced healing meaning this is something that occurs naturally to the body." Barry lists off what he had already determined what was happening to him.

"Meaning that this is something that you brought on, because you are doing something wrong with your powers that weren't an issue beforehand. I mean for all we know, you might be having a transient ischemic attack," Caitlin warns him.

Barry looks slightly confused and when it turned obvious that Caitlin wasn't willing to tell him what she was saying, he turned to Dr. Wells. "Mini stroke, not likely though," Wells informs him.

"You of all people should know that in science we share, we do not keep secrets." Caitlin announced before storming out of the room.

Once she left, Cisco let out a breath of relief. "Wow, I have never seen her so angry at someone like you since Ronnie, but you just constantly cause that by walking into the room," Cisco comments on his friend's behaviour.

It was true. While Ronnie sometimes managed to tick off Caitlin so much it would cause her to explode, Barry somehow managed to push her buttons everyday. The both of them annoyed each other to the extent of constantly arguing and bickering. Even when they were on the phone with each other, they would just constantly be in a fight. The only reason they had the other's number was so that they could continue their fight without anyone listening in. It made Cisco sad that Caitlin, his best friend, and Barry, his newly found friend, could not get along.

They soon found the reason behind Barry constantly passing out. His new powers caused him to burn through calories at an immense rate, even if he wasn't using his powers everyday. His glucose levels were dangerously low, which was why he was always fainting.

They had discovered this by having Barry run on a treadmill Cisco had designed to be able to handle his speeds. After a few seconds, after they had discovered the problem, Barry had passed out midrun and collided with the wall behind him. Caitlin lightly laughed at him for that. Luckily the wall was covered in styrofoam just for the occasion.

Cisco had done the calculations. In light of his new powers, Barry would have to consume on average 10,000 calories per day. And that was just by having his powers. He'd have to consume more if he used his powers.

Barry had decided to eat another lunch since he had asked to take a day off to help Iris, but that was obviously a bust due to the heist.

Cisco was working on making a calorie bar to be able to help Barry keep up his calorie intake without having to eat an excessive amount of food everyday, but Barry didn't seem to mind having to eat more that much of a problem. But it might cause a strain on his wallet.

Caitlin however was trying to keep to herself. Since discovering that she was a meta, she had done a series of tests on herself. She learned that she was able to control the temperature around her. Her ability wasn't to create ice. She was able to absorb the heat out of objects leaving them in ice due to the lack of heat. She had thought of locating her mother and inform her of these new developments but she immediately shot that down, at least for now. There were still a few things that she could do, and so far it didn't seem like her powers were harmful to her. If anything, it would help her to annoy Barry constantly, which was a bonus. It made her embrace her powers more.

Over the week she had practised her powers, and she felt that she had a modicum of control. Enough at least to irritate Barry on occasion. She had some ideas of what she could do with her powers, and loathe as she was to admit it, she had taken some ideas from the movie Frozen that had come out last year.

Approaching Barry from behind while he was still eating on what might be his third lunch, she tapped him on the shoulder with an icy finger.

She watched as the ice travelled his sleeve, leaving it covered in frost. "Hey Barry," she greeted him.

"Oh, Caitlin. I thought I felt a chill in the air," Barry said.

"No need to have such a cold shoulder. You're gonna have to brush some of that snow off," she lightly teased him. Alluding to the fact there was actual snow on his shoulder.

"Ha ha," Barry laughed sarcastically. Still, he felt his shoulder growing colder, so he glanced at it quickly on to widen his eyes in shock. His arm was practically frozen. How had that happened? He immediately shook it off only to see Caitlin laughing hysterically at him.

"How did you…?" Barry asked, he was lost for words.

"You think you're the only meta? Please," she scoffed at him. She raised her hand to reveal mist flowing off it, and sparked her eyes into their icy blue colour.

"How long have you known of your powers? Why would you tell me this? Who else knows?" Barry rapidly asked her.

"A week. Just after we defeated Mardon. Nobody else knows. And it's gonna stay that way until I decide to tell them. And I did it because I knew it would annoy you." Caitlin rattled off her answers to him.

"Why are you literally the opposite of me in everything?!" Barry shouted.

"Luck of the draw," Caitlin replied. "Since speed and cold are opposites, we're going to be spending a lot of time together Fleet Feet."

"Oh, bring it on Ms. Frosty. You'd never be able to catch me, and I promise, I'll find some ways to irritate you. Like this," Barry smirked at her before running away.

The wind caused by his speed caused Caitlin's hair to fly everywhere. Some of it ended up in her mouth. She would have to keep her mouth closed whenever he did that. While she angrily spit her hair out of her mouth she thought, 'Game on Bartholomew Allen,'

* * *

The rest of the day turned into a blur. Maybe she shouldn't have revealed her abilities to Barry. She should have talked with Cisco about them first. But he was just finishing the cold gun without Barry finding out. He was under a lot of pressure.

The entire time, Caitlin was worried that Barry would be spiteful enough to expose her as a meta to the others before she was ready. She had no idea why she felt she was ready to tell Barry. Maybe it was because he was still a stranger to her and it was easier to tell someone without a face.

"What's bothering you? You have this 'I have a problem' look on your face." Cisco asked as Caitlin's eyes went wide.

"I-it's nothing Cisco," Caitlin stuttered out. Currently, she was scraping traces of blood from Barry's suit. She was hoping to isolate blood from their new meta, Danton Black, who Barry had confronted earlier. Caitlin was happy to say that Barry got his ass whooped, but now they had to get serious.

"You sure? There's not anything you want to tell me?" Cisco asked. "Because I'm your best friend, you can tell me anything,"

"There's nothing wrong Cisco, and if there was, I hope you respect my decision to keep it to myself for a while until I'm ready to tell you," Caitlin assured him.

"Yeah, I can do that," Cisco said. "So what are you trying to do anyway?"

"I'm trying to isolate blood from Barry's suit-"

"-My suit!" Cisco interrupted her.

"From the suit that belongs to Danton Black to try to see how his powers work." Caitlin corrected herself. "I want to try to see if I can find out how he can replicate himself,"

"Replicate! That could be a good name," Cisco said, mostly to himself. Lately he'd been trying to find names for the meta of the week. "No, no, could still use some work."

Caitlin just rolled her eyes at him before getting back to work. After she managed to obtain Black's blood cells, she introduced them to a gel protein, just wanting to see what they could do. Strangely, as she was looking at it through her microscope the cells were multiplying at an alarming rate with no signs of stopping.

When the cells became an entire arm, she had to stand up and just watch as an entire body grew. It was both fascinating and slightly disgusting at the same time. At least it came with clothes attached, but Caitlin had no idea how that worked.

Once the body was completed, both she and Cisco panicked at the thought that Danton Black would know who they were and that they worked with Barry, but the clone didn't do anything.

Taking a brain scan confirmed what they were both thinking. The clones were an empty shell. They performed the basic functions, but they did little else. That had to mean Black was mentally controlling them to do his bidding.

After relaying the information to Barry, they had a plan. If there were too many clones, Black would be straining himself to control every individual body. He would be the one showing the most signs of fatigue. If they could incapacitate the original, all of them would fall.

Determining his next target to be Simon Stagg was easy enough considering he'd already tried to go after him before.

Barry had interrupted the heist and took Stagg to a safe location before confronting Black. It turned out Black's motive wasn't because his research was stolen, it was because the research was to save his wife from heart failure. He was planning on using his research to create a healthy heart instead of waiting for an available one, but then it was all taken away and they had run out of time.

Barry was at first overwhelmed by the sheer amount of bodies he had to get through, and he still had no idea which of them was the prime.

"There's too many of them. I can't do this," Barry told them, slightly out of breath.

"We've told you Fleet Feet, you don't need to take all of them down, you just need to take down one. The Prime," Caitlin told him.

"Well Ms. Frosty I don't see you helping me out with this. They're identical clones, how do I tell the Prime apart from the rest?" Barry sarcastically replied.

"We have gone over this Barry! The Prime will be the one exerting the most force, look for the one showing the most signs of exhaustion. Honestly!" Caitlin yelled at him.

"Are they always like this?" Joe muttered to Cisco, who was currently in the Cortex, watching everything going on.

"No, usually it's much worse, and over much smaller things," Cisco replied.

"If the Prime is tiring, he'll likely be in the back having the rest of the clones protect himself. How do I get through that many people?" Barry questioned them.

"You've said you have gone so fast the rest of the world went still. I think you can move through a few bodies to get to the back of the crowd." Caitlin pointed out.

"That was just for short bursts of time. I don't think I can maintain it for that long," Barry said in doubt.

"You can do it Barry. You taught me that nothing is impossible, so go out there and take this guy down son," Joe chimed in, offering his own support after doubting Barry for some time about whether he should be doing these heroics.

Barry finally caught his breath. When he looked behind him he saw a sea of bodies all marching towards him. There were so many, some of them were even tripping themselves.

Bracing himself, he took a deep breath and let the lightning in his veins spark in his eyes before he charged forward, sparks of electricity coming off him. He had to find out if he could do anything with that besides it being a big light show.

Weaving through the still bodies, he made it to the back where there were few of them. One of them had to be the Prime. Looking at each closely, he saw that one of them had sweat dripping down their head. That one had to be the Prime.

Finally having a target, he rushed forward and grabbed what he dearly hoped was the Prime and slammed him into a pillar. Effectively knocking him out. Daring a look, he glanced to the rest of the clones to see that they too were all unconscious.

"We did it. We won," Barry confirmed their victory.

He heard several sighs of relief from the other end, but he knew it was well deserved.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it as the original Danton Black regained consciousness and charged towards Barry.

Barry, obviously, managed to dodge, but he didn't take into account the giant window behind him. Black fell through, and he was determined to meet his end even when Barry offered to pull him back up to live. Black refused and pried Barry's hand off himself.

* * *

When Barry returned, he was slightly bummed out about the fact that he couldn't save Black, but even if he did, they didn't really have a place to hold him. And Cisco finally came up with a name.

"At least we'll never have to worry about Multiplex ever again. Boom! Still got it,"

Once the others left, Caitlin tried to comfort Barry in her own way, "Don't feel too bad, the guy probably didn't want to admit he'd been saved by a dork."

Okay, so insulting him came naturally even when she wasn't trying.

"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" Barry asked. "Because you are doing a terrible job."

"What I'm trying to say is that he didn't want to be saved." Caitlin tried to clear her previous statement. "You can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved. Sometimes, you need to accept that they don't want your help, and you can't do anything about it,"

Barry nodded in contemplation. "Thanks Caitlin, I think I needed to hear that,"

They both just stayed in silence for awhile. Neither of them wanted to interrupt the peace they had reached for what seemed like the first time ever.

Barry sighed loudly, finally breaking the silence. "I'm gonna head out now. Get some sleep before going into work tomorrow,"

"Yeah, I got some things to do here but I'll be leaving pretty soon myself," Caitlin said.

Before leaving the building, Barry turned around to face her. "Hey, I hate you, Ms. Frosty," he said with a smile. A tender look on his face that spoke volumes.

Caitlin chuckled and replied. "I hate you too Fleet Feet,"

Barry ran out of the building causing her hair to fly everywhere again, but her smile stayed plastered on. She'd let this one slide. But the next one would earn him an icicle in his shoulder.

* * *

**Tell me what you thought of this new chapter, tell me your complaints and I will try to address them as best as I can. And if you just straight up didn't like it, what the hell are you still doing here?**


	3. Despicable

**Shout out to my co-authors, Brightburn1985 and thomasmarieamell. Go check out some of their work.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash**

* * *

Overtime, Barry and Caitlin developed a working relationship. They managed to take down The Mist easily enough.

A mob family had been poisoned, but the way they died wasn't natural to how a poisonous gas should have acted. They were all at the table together, therefore, they should have been affected at the same time.

Instead, it seemed as if the gas was targeting each person one by one as a few managed to get some distance, and one even managed to fire two shots trying to break the glass.

Barry voiced his concerns to Joe that this may be meta-related and brought this to the STAR Labs gang.

They deduced this meta's abilities must be related to gas, whether it was only poisonous gas or all gaseous forms was a mystery. As well as how he controlled it.

But another problem was brought up by Joe. They couldn't very well execute every super criminal they encountered. Sure, some might deserve it, but they shouldn't kill ones that are just robbing banks simply because they currently have no place to contain them.

A suggestion was made. The particle accelerator. There were cavities in the walls that could work as makeshift prisons. With a few adjustments as well as making sure each cell would be designed to counteract a specific meta's abilities, it would be perfect.

Caitlin's hands clenched at the mention of the accelerator. Barry immediately noticed it, and decided to take pity on her. Despite their animosity towards each other, they were teammates. He wouldn't force her to do something she didn't want to.

"Actually Dr. Wells, I could use Caitlin's help at CCPD in identifying the toxic gas that was used," Barry came up on the spot.

Caitlin immediately agreed. "Let's go," She may hate Barry, but she dreaded going back down in that hole again. Barry was the lesser of two evils in this scenario.

"You're welcome," Barry whispered to her as they left.

"I didn't need you to save me, I could have weaseled my way out of that somehow," Caitlin whispered back.

"Well you owe me one Ms. Frosty. I didn't have to save you. I could have left you to go down to the Pipeline by yourself, but I decided to take pity on you and offer a way out," Barry said.

"I don't owe you anything Fleet Feet. I didn't ask, want, or need your charity. Not all of us are damsels in distress that are waiting for our knight in shining armour," Caitlin glared at him.

"Well, then call me your speedster in red spandex," Barry cheekily retorted.

"I think I'll call you the bottomless hole of problems whose trying to avoid them by pretending to be a superhero," Caitlin said sarcastically.

That was their conversation the entire way to the police station. They attracted looks from Barry's co-workers, but they mostly ignored them. They had more pressing issues to address.

While waiting for the results to come back, there was an awkward silence between them. They hadn't really been alone together simply because they wanted to. There was always a reason for them to be together, whether it was because it was forced, or they were arguing and neither had noticed the others had already left the room.

Breaking the silence, Barry decided to ask some questions that's been on his mind for awhile. Caitlin's cold exterior left little room for him to ask for anything personal, but having her yell at him was better than this deafening silence.

"Can I ask you a question that you don't have to answer?" Barry asked her.

"My least favourite type of question," Caitlin grumbled at him. "Shoot,"

"Ronnie, what was he like?" Barry hesitantly asked. He may be stepping past his boundaries, but he felt he needed to get to the root of the problem of why they didn't seem to get along.

"Ronnie was beyond words. People compared us to fire and ice. I was cold even before I met you, but Ronnie managed to melt my barriers. He got me to try things out of my comfort zones. He made me a different person in the best way possible," Caitlin answered.

"He sounds like a great guy. Too bad he got stuck with you," Barry teased her.

Caitlin just glared at him. "We loved each other. We were happy. But then a particle accelerator came along and ripped that all away, and I got left with you in my medbay,"

"I didn't mean any offense," Barry apologized.

"Well you did," Caitlin scowled.

Luckily the results were in before anymore silence could be made. And they were very confused at what they found.

The gas had evaporated in the victim's lungs so there wasn't anything they could find. They would need a fresh sample. But what made both of them scratch their heads was the fact there were two distinct strands of DNA. One obviously being the victim's, but they had no idea where the second one came from.

They tried to find a match, but there weren't any records they could find. It's as if this DNA came from a ghost.

They tried to think of ways of how this could be possible, but it was Barry's assumption that clinched it. "What if this meta doesn't control the gas? What if he becomes it?"

That seemed as feasible as any. It was at that moment they got a police report. Another toxic gas attack, this time at the mall.

Barry ran as fast as he could, but by the time he got there, it was too late. The woman was already dead. Speeding up his body so the rest of the world remained still to his perspective, Barry took a look around.

Then he noticed something. A door was slightly open with a green cloud slowly crawling away unnoticed.

Finding his target, Barry ran before anyone noticed. Just as he assumed, the gas took the form of a human being. He was right. He couldn't wait to rub it in Caitlin's face.

But then came a complication. He had no idea what to do now that he found him. Since he becomes the gas, he couldn't touch him or get near him, lest he be poisoned as well. But maybe if he can grab him before that happens, this would all be over.

That didn't happen as when Barry tried to grab him, the bald man reverted to his gaseous state and began filling Barry's respiratory system with his toxins.

Barry managed to get out of there in time with enough energy to make it to STAR Labs where he was left gasping for air.

Cisco and Wells carried him to a bed, trying to ease his discomfort until Caitlin arrived. When she did, they took this opportunity to get a sample of this new meta. Sure Barry was possibly dying, but now that Caitlin was here it would all be fine.

"Cut me open. Get the gas out of me," Barry begged her.

"Can I just take a moment here to relish the fact that you are begging me to literally cut open your chest?" Caitlin smirked at him.

Barry couldn't reply any longer because his oxygen was running out. It didn't help that he burned through most of it to get here.

"Okay, first I'm going to administer you something that should keep you unconscious until the surgery is over," Caitlin grabbed a large needle, filling it with the drug.

"Should?" Cisco voiced his concerns.

"Better than won't" Caitlin shrugged her shoulders before she stabbed Barry in the chest with the comically large needle. To be honest, it didn't need to be so big, but it got the job done.

* * *

Barry woke up a few hours later with the sample he provided already being analyzed. They had a few hours to wait before they could do anything, so Barry was left to heal.

To pass the time, Barry decided to strike up a conversation with Caitlin again. She really wasn't all bad when she wasn't screaming at him. "Ronnie was a great man," he said.

"The best," Caitlin agreed. "Which is why it's so hard for me to go back down there. I didn't even think about it when I went down there last time. I just focused on the fact you were there and I wanted to torture you a little,"

"What if I was there with you again?" Barry offered.

Caitlin initially wanted to refuse. But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to comfort her that Barry would be there to support her in this dark time.

Once down there, Caitlin took a good hard look at the metal door in front of her. The one that separated her from her fiance that night. "He saved so many people that night, and no one will ever know what he did," she mumbled to herself.

"I will. He was a hero," Barry spoke up behind her.

"I didn't want him to be a hero. I wanted him to be my husband," Caitlin softly cried.

Barry opened his arms in an offer of comfort, which Caitlin took as she embraced him and began to sob into his chest.

* * *

They soon found who the meta was. Kyle Nimbus. But his records claimed he was dead which is why his file didn't appear when they put his DNA through the records.

Based on his targets, the mob boss testifying against him, and the judge sentencing him to death, they were able to determine who was his next target. The leading officer of his arrest. Detective Joe West.

They rushed to find him, and it was almost too late, but Barry injected Joe with the cure he had on hand.

There was no easy way to defeat Nimbus. The only thing they could think of was to exhaust him. It couldn't be easy maintaining his gaseous state as gas was the least stable form of matter. Sooner or later he would need to reform back into his solid, and once he did, that was when Barry would strike.

Barry managed to grab his attention and just let Nimbus chase him through the street, tiring him out in the process. When Nimbus stopped to take a breather, Barry didn't waste his chance. Barry charged at Kyle and effectively rendered him unconscious.

This was as good of a time to test their new prison. Placing Nimbus in a cell that was locked with an airtight door and charged enough that would keep him from escaping through the vents.

Overall, it was a good day. A new meta had been stopped, and best of all, Barry and Caitlin were beginning their first steps towards becoming something that could pose as friends. There would be complications, but they would get there.

* * *

That development ended as soon as the cold gun was revealed into existence.

Felicity Smoak was visiting to see Barry. How he was friends with such a nice person, Caitlin will never know.

During that time, the cold gun designed to stop Barry in the event that he would misuse his powers was stolen and wound up in the hands of Leonard Snart, or as Cisco dubbed him, Captain Cold.

When Barry questioned where the device came from, it was revealed that Cisco was the one to create it.

"The cold gun was developed here, by STAR Labs," Dr. Wells told him.

"No, Caitlin and Dr. Wells didn't have anything to do with making the gun, I did. I made it." Cisco told Barry.

"Why would you make this?" Barry asked.

"Because speed and cold are opposites. The faster an object moves, the hotter it is. The slower it is, the colder it gets. When there is absolutely no movement at all, it's called absolute zero. I made it to stop you." Cisco tries to explain.

"Why?" Barry demands once again.

"I didn't really know you when I first made it. What if you turned out to be another one of those psychos…?" Cisco trailed off.

"But I didn't, did I?" Barry shouted. "I can understand why you made the gun Cisco, but what I don't understand is why you didn't tell me about it? I thought we were friends? I thought you trusted me?"

"We are friends and I do trust you, I just didn't think you needed to know," Cisco said.

"If I had known about this beforehand, I could have better prepared. Instead, someone died today," Barry reminded him of what happened.

"Yeah, and I have to live with that," Cisco pointed out.

"No Cisco, we all do," Barry corrected him.

"Don't blame Cisco entirely, it was my idea to create the gun. Cisco was just the engineer," Caitlin told him.

Barry paused before turning to face her. "Why am I not surprised? Of course you came up with the idea for a _cold_ gun. I thought what he said sounded familiar, but I bet you never told him what gave you the idea for it did you?"

Caitlin shook her head in slight fear, "Barry no,"

"You never told him that what gave you the idea was because you are a meta yourself, with ice powers no less. That's what gave you the idea because you knew you could stop me if you wanted to. Just another thing to add to your arsenal, huh Ms. Frosty?" Barry sneered at her.

"You're a meta, Caitlin? Why didn't you tell me? How come Barry knows it while I don't? I thought you were my best friend." Cisco asked, feeling hurt and betrayed by the fact that Caitlin didn't let him in on a secret.

"I wasn't ready Cisco. I mean, look at all the metas we've encountered so far, I didn't want to risk anything," Caitlin said, tears begin to well up in her eyes. "Barry, how could you? That wasn't your secret to tell!" Her eyes filled with rage, but you could still see the pain behind her glare.

"Well apparently we're all keeping secrets that should have been brought into the light sooner," Barry says with cold eyes.

With that, he flashes out of the building. What followed were a series of actions brought on by lack of trust between them. Barry's relationship was strained at best between the people at STAR. He became reckless and wasn't willing to listen to the others.

Snart managed to make off with the cold gun, but at least they got back the diamond. Things weren't okay, but they were getting better. At least between Barry and Cisco.

* * *

The next few metas weren't particularly momentous. Bette Sans Souci was the first meta they had encountered that didn't have terrible intentions with their powers. If anything, she was looking for ways to get rid of her powers as they were highly destructive. To turn everything you touch into a bomb about to explode would be inconvenient to anyone.

Cisco seemed to take a liking to her, which only made it more depressing when she was killed by General Eiling. A man who was looking to exploit her powers, but killed her when it became apparent that she wouldn't be controlled.

The next was a man named Tony Woodward. Barry's childhood bully. He could encase his entire body with metal, making him impenetrable to practically all attacks. Caitlin gave him a pretty hard time for that. The man who used to torture him obtained powers as well, and is using them to torture him again.

It wasn't too funny after they found Barry sprawled on the floor with multiple broken bones and blood dripping on the floor. Caitlin really wanted to poke some fun at him, but she knew this was a sensitive matter. She had been trying to be nicer to Barry. Spending time with him constantly, it was time for her to bury the hatchet. The team needed them to at least get along well enough to function.

Barry was staring off in the distance, he was sitting in the Cortex when Caitlin decided to walk in and saw him. He looked bothered and stressed. Normally Caitlin would've ignored him but she decided that if they are going to be at least work friends, she have to be nice with him.

"What's bothering you?" Caitlin asked, snapping Barry out of his stupor.

Barry just looked at her in suspicion. "Since when have you taken an interest in what's happening in my life?"

"Well excuse me for trying to at least have a civil conversation with someone I am forced to interact with on a daily basis," Caitlin rolled her eyes at him. "Contrary to what you may think of me, I don't like arguing until my throat is sore, Fleet Feet. So tell me what's bothering you or I'm gonna leave,"

"Okay, I'm sorry," Barry raised his hands in surrender. "It's this new meta, Tony Woodward,"

"Your childhood nemesis, yes I'm aware," Caitlin said.

"I hate him, even more than I hate you if you can believe it," Barry confessed.

"Oh, I can believe it," Caitlin empathizes. She still thought of the terrible times of high school with Lexi LaRoche. She'd hate for her to be a meta as well, but the last she heard, Lexi had moved to Gotham.

"Even after all this time, I'm useless against him. I couldn't do anything against him as a kid, and even as an adult with _superpowers, _I still get my ass handed to me by the same guy who would shove me into lockers at school," Barry said.

"Well, that sucks," Caitlin lamented.

"Yeah, it does," Barry agreed. "I know we've got this plan to take him down with a supersonic punch, but I don't know if I'm up to it,"

"Well, if you get even the slightest part wrong, you run the risk of breaking every bone in your body, leaving you vulnerable to another beating but this time you won't be able to run away," Caitlin told him. "So I'm all for that,"

"Gee, glad you're so concerned about my well-being," Barry narrowed his eyes at her. "You're supposed to be my doctor. You're supposed to suggest I avoid breaking my body and risk killing myself,"

"You're a hero now Barry, being a hero means getting your bones broken every now and then. Besides, this is probably the only plan we'll come up with that has even a chance of succeeding," Caitlin says.

"You could help me take him down in the field," Barry suggests. "With your powers, you'd be able to freeze him and then we'd be able to take him in and put him in the Pipeline. Metal doesn't do so well in the cold,"

"That would be if I could get him to stay still long enough to let the ice encase him," Caitlin says. "That thing I did with your shoulder before is the most I'm able to accomplish with my powers and you brushed that off pretty easily,"

"That's too bad, you should look into advancing your powers," Barry says.

"You don't think I haven't? Shooting ice from my hands is a little more complicated than running really fast. Not everyone is going to have an innate sense of using their powers like you Barry,"

"Why do you have to take everything I say as an insult Ms. Frosty? Sometimes, I just want to have a normal conversation as well,"

"Well you didn't seem too interested in having a conversation when I walked in," Caitlin pointed out.

"How was I to know that you were willing to even have a conversation at all? God, you are so irritating," Barry said.

"Well you are the most conceited person I have ever met Bartholomew," Caitlin fired back. "Not everything revolves around you,"

"I can't believe I ever thought you would be willing to have an actual conversation with me," Barry said.

"I can't believe I ever thought I could actually have a conversation with you without it turning out to be another screaming match!" Caitlin yelled.

"I'm leaving," Barry announced and started to walk out of the Cortex.

"You better be Allen!"

* * *

That night, Tony kidnapped Iris and brought her back to their high school as a way of remembering their roots. He wanted Iris to start writing in her blog about him instead of the Streak.

The Streak was the name Iris had given to Barry when she was unknowingly writing about him to spread awareness that he was actually existent and not just something crazy people talk about.

Barry confronted Tony as the Streak, and at first, it seemed that Barry still couldn't do anything. Tony's defenses were just too great for Barry to effectively take him down.

Tony knocked Barry to the ground, but before he could land the finishing blow, Barry got out of there just in the knick of time. Barry ran for miles away from the school.

5.3 miles away from the school. The exact distance required for Barry to achieve a sonic boom and be able to actually do some damage to Woodward.

Still, Barry needed to be able to be traveling at least Mach 1.1, faster than he's ever gone before.

Somehow, against all odds, Barry managed to do it. A supersonic punch that actually managed to break through Woodward's powers. Barry broke his hand in the process though, and Woodward still managed to get back up, but luckily Iris knocked him out with a left hook before anything else could happen.

Barry confronted his high school bully as both the Streak and Barry Allen, just to be able to see his expression of being taken down by him. Somehow Tony still managed to recognize him. Which just made Barry's victory all the sweeter.

"All I want to know is, which childhood nemesis are we going to take down next? Mine or Caitlin's? I vote mine," Cisco asked.

Barry and Caitlin didn't take him seriously at all and just laughed him off. "Guys I'm serious about this," Cisco called out.

* * *

Barry was running on a treadmill, but not at superspeed. He was running at his usual pace.

"Wow, he's slow, even for a normal person," Cisco commented.

Earlier tonight, Barry confronted a new meta. Someone who was able to siphon electricity. And be able to steal Barry's powers.

They didn't even know if it was temporary or not, but they were hopeful since Barry's DNA was still mutated. He's just not able to access his powers for some reason.

Barry's just looking at the mannequin that was wearing the suit. The Flash suit. Barry recently had a conversation with Iris, and what he said inspired her to change the name of the Streak into the Flash. And with the amount of views it had, it seemed to be catching on.

The suit right now was just a reminder of what Barry had lost. He loves being the Flash. To be able to run at high speeds, to let the world fade away when he runs.

Caitlin walks up to him, seeing him in a sense of pity.

Barry notices her this time and decides to strike up a conversation himself. "You think I'll ever get to wear it again?"

"I don't know. I hope so," Caitlin says.

"I didn't have my powers for very long, but now that it's gone, it feels like a part of me is gone too," Barry tells her.

"With or without your speed Barry, you're still you." Caitlin tries to comfort him.

"But I'm not. I'm not the best version of me. I love being the Flash. I love everything about it. The feeling of running at hundreds of miles per hour. Wind and power rushing past my face. The ability to help people. I'm not sure I can live without it anymore, Caitlin." Barry confesses to her.

Caitlin could never be able to understand what he was going through. She'd hate to lose her powers as well. Despite what little she could do with them, she loved her powers. She didn't want to think about them being gone. She didn't even remember what it felt like to not have powers anymore.

Caitlin didn't know what she wanted to say, she just wanted him to know that no matter what, she would stand by him. "Barry…" but was cut off by Cisco. This was the first conversation face to face she had with Barry that didn't result in yelling even though it was cut short. Miracles do happen.

* * *

Their meta was in the building. Farooq Gibran. He somehow managed to siphon the power in the entire city causing a city wide blackout. He'd come for revenge for his friends who had died the night of the explosion and had given him powers.

Unlike others, Gibran's powers needed to be constantly fed. He needed to feed off electricity so his powers would remain stable. He was an electricity vampire.

They didn't have anyway to combat him. With Barry's powers still gone, and Caitlin's abilities still in their early stages of development, they were all in danger. But they had an impromptu plan that might work. If they could get the backup generator on, they'd be able to electrocute Barry just like the lightning bolt did on that fateful night. His cells were still fully charged and ripe with power. He just couldn't get his powers to work properly. A large electrical blast might do the trick to get his powers running again.

Of course, the required amount of electricity was more than they administer to those in the electric chair. It might kill him, but their options were running low.

Dr. Wells went off to try to find some way to distract him, and Cisco went off to get the generator running. That left Caitlin to prep the treadmill to handle the amount of electricity with Barry.

There were a few close calls that they thought they would be caught. But they managed to get everything ready. All they needed to do was turn it on and shock Barry into his powers.

But Caitlin hesitated.

Despite the constant annoyance, Caitlin had started to care for Barry. She didn't want to do him any harm beyond the necessary.

"Caitlin just do it!" Barry yelled at her.

"I can't!" Caitlin shouted back.

"Why not? I thought you would jump at the chance to have me electrocuted?" Barry questioned her.

"Because I run the risk of killing you with this!" Caitlin shouts.

"So? When has hurting me ever stopped you? If you don't do this, we're all dead either way," Barry tells her.

Caitlin makes her way to the treadmill and places her hand on Barry's. "I already lost someone I cared about in this building, don't make me go through that again,"

"You care about me?" Barry asked her.

"Despite all odds Barry, I do. That doesn't mean if we make it out of this alive I'm going to start being nice to you. In fact if you tell anyone about this I will deny it and claim that you are the one that cares about me," Caitlin says.

"I care about you too," Barry says to her. "That's why I can't let you or Cisco or Dr. Wells get hurt when there's something that I could do about it,"

Barry just sighed and looked down. "Someone once told me that the lightning, it didn't just strike me, it chose me. That I could be a symbol of hope. Right now I don't know if I believe that, but it doesn't matter what I believe. What do you believe in?"

Caitlin stares into his eyes, and in a spur of the moment, she kisses him. Barry's eyes widened in shock, and the kiss was over in a second. "You should have just led with that," Caitlin mumbled to him.

She runs over to the switch and flips it on and watches in despair and terror, and a little bit of hope, as the electricity surges through the treadmill and into Barry.

The force knocks him back and he falls to the ground.

Caitlin rushes to his side. "Did it work?" she asks.

Barry tries to feel the power of his speed, and for a second he does. He lifts his hand and sees that it's vibrating. He tries to focus on that, but it soon leaves him.

Barry just shakes his head. He doesn't have his powers.

* * *

They'd managed to take down Farooq Gibran. Seeing Dr. Wells in a state of danger sparked Barry's powers back to life. When Farooq tried to do the same as he did before and take Barry's powers away, the results were different this time.

Barry's powers had gotten more powerful. It was more than Gibran could safely handle. "It's like he choked on you," Caitlin tells him.

Later that night when all but Barry and Caitlin had left STAR Labs, Barry decided to confront Caitlin about what had happened.

"So, you kissed me," Barry blurts out.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Caitlin groans.

"Why'd you do it?" Barry asks.

"It was a spur of the moment decision. I thought we were all going to die, it didn't mean anything," Caitlin says.

"Oh,"

"It didn't mean anything. Did it?" Caitlin asks.

"No, no," Barry denies. "I didn't feel anything about that kiss,"

"You didn't feel anything?" Caitlin questions.

"I mean, it was nice. A little awkward but nice all the same." Barry tells her.

"Yeah, yeah, it was nice," Caitlin nods in agreement. "We never talk about this again,"

"Agreed," Barry immediately replies.

"No one ever finds out, it'll be like it never happened at all," Caitlin goes on.

"We go right back to hating each other, nothing changes." Barry says. "Shake on it?" he offers his hand.

Caitlin takes his hand in agreement. "I loathe you Fleet Feet,"

"You are despicable Ms. Frosty," Barry fires right back.

* * *

**I hoped you all liked that.**

**What? You all thought I was going to keep with one chapter per episode? No way. That's just too much to write and not enough content that's actually relevant to the story. I'm gonna be skimming or completely skipping some episodes depending on how I feel they connect with the story. If some plots are just too important, they will be included. Everything else you're supposed to infer it's happened. You just didn't read that it did.**

**Leave me your reviews. Tell me what you thought. Am I going too fast? Am I going too slow? Is there something specific you'd like to see? You're all welcome to ask.**


	4. Get Out

**Welcome back to another chapter. As always make sure you show your support by leaving a review and check out the stories of my co-authors, Brightburn1985 and thomasmarieamell.**

**Thanks to everyone who has left a review, favourited, and followed this story so far. I just hope you stick with me until the end.**

**Warning, the following chapter contains implied sexual references. Does not contain any smut. I don't do that.**

**Disclaimer: I have no rights to The Flash or any part of The Arrowverse.**

* * *

"You know, you really have no good reason to hate me," Barry told Caitlin one day, "You just hate me because you're a cold-hearted person, and I hate you because I refuse to put up with your bullshit,"

"On the contrary, I hate you because you constantly annoy me. I didn't like you when we were first introduced, but I decided to swallow my pride and apologize, but like the arrogant prick you are, you decided you were too good for that," Caitlin told him.

"I just came out of a 9 month coma only to discover I have powers, excuse me for acting a little irrational." Barry retorted.

"Irrational?" Caitlin questioned him. "You were a complete jerk,"

"Guys, what are you fighting about now?" Cisco asked exasperated.

"Coffee," they answer at the same time.

"Coffee?" Cisco questioned.

"This idiot here gave me a sorry excuse of coffee this morning, which completely ruined my day," Caitlin informed Cisco.

"I added two packets of sweeteners and cream, how is that ruining coffee?" Barry asked.

"How can anyone stomach that much sugar? It's not natural," Caitlin complained.

"How can anyone stomach something so bitter? It's terrible," Barry questioned her.

"This happened this morning?" Cisco asked.

"Yes," they both said.

"And you've been arguing since?" Cisco asked again just to clarify.

"Yes," they confirmed once again.

"It's like three in the afternoon, don't you guys have jobs to do?" Cisco asked.

"We've been doing our jobs, we've just been texting each other when we're apart," Barry informs him. "Speaking of which, my lunch break will be over in less than five minutes so I got to go. Later," Barry speeds out of there and heads back to CCPD.

A second later, a text notification alerted from Caitlin phone. She took a glance at it and huffed angrily. "Oh you will regret that Barry Allen," and she furiously typed in a reply.

Cisco just sat back and stared as she aggressively typed with Barry. He had no idea what they were talking about, but all he could think was, '_How can they be such good friends with me, but terrible friends with each other?'_

* * *

So much happened over the course of a few months. The Arrow had taken a visit to Central City to visit Barry and search for a criminal using boomerangs as their choice of weaponry.

Instead, they faced a new meta who had the ability to induce rage upon whoever they looked at. Roy G. Bivolo. He managed to send Barry into a fit of rage that was prolonged due to his own powers, but that only caused the anger to build up instead of bursting out in a quick fashion like all the other victims.

Caitlin and The Arrow, who was revealed to be the infamous Oliver Queen, played a vital role in subduing Barry in order to calm him down.

Caitlin was taking her powers to new heights against Barry, whenever he got close, she would fire an icicle at him. If he tried to circle her to suck the air out of the area, she would freeze the ground he was running on and cause him to fall.

Barry even learned a new trick he could perform with the lightning he generated when he ran. By vibrating his hands, he could build up the electricity he created and shock whoever he touched. That proved to be very annoying, but would be very helpful against others in the future.

Eventually they managed to hold Barry down long enough to use Cisco's new device on him that should counteract against Bivolo's powers by exposing him to a new stimuli that causes relaxation instead of rage like before.

Once that happened, Caitlin knocked him out when he was still disoriented from the fight and the flashing lights. "Just to make sure," she claimed.

Once they made sure Barry was okay, they tracked down Bivolo and detained him in the Pipeline. After that, they made their way to Starling City to help take down Captain Boomerang and his explosives.

It was different working from another base of communications, but they made it work. Caitlin didn't even snap at Barry for whisking her to a bomb without her consent.

With Christmas approaching, a new dynamic was forming. Iris, Barry's foster sister, was in a committed relationship with Eddie Thawne and decided it was time to move in with him. Unfortunately, it was also the time Barry decided to profess his love for her. That didn't turn out too well for him, but Caitlin could respect that he had the guts to tell a woman in a happy relationship he had feelings for her. It wasn't even a way to try to convince her to leave Eddie for him. It was just to get it off his chest at long last with no hope for success. Caitlin admired that.

"Hey, don't beat yourself too hard," Caitlin said to him. "If Iris would rather date a police officer rather than a police nerd, that's her choice,"

"I thought we had established that we are all uber nerds?" Barry asked her.

"I'm a medical nerd, you're a police nerd. There's a difference," Caitlin said. "If Iris doesn't want to go out with you, it's her loss. I'm sure you have some redeeming qualities as a boyfriend that you don't as a friend,"

"Thanks, that just fills me up with confidence," Barry said sarcastically, "I guess I'm better off alone, if the only women interested in me, are people like you and Becky Cooper," Barry said before walking away.

"Becky Cooper? What, is that one of your old girlfriends or something?" Caitlin asked.

"From High School, she was just a barrel of sunshine, like you," Barry replied sarcastically.

"Don't you dare compare me to one of your old high school sweethearts, because we are obviously living in completely different worlds for them to even find you remotely attractive," Caitlin said in disgust.

"Well, I guess I find it hard to believe that you could love anyone considering how rough around the edges you are." Barry quipped.

"I will have you know that I can be the very definition of the perfect girlfriend. Let's not forget that I was supposed to be getting married before the accelerator," Caitlin said.

"Yeah, and I'm sure that he got to see a whole different side of you that nobody else gets to see, but it's not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you."

"Well, if that's how we're defining people, how about we describe me as the person who saved Central City's esteemed golden boy from imminent death due to a lightning bolt," Caitlin announced a title for herself.

"One that you caused," Barry pointed out.

"By accident, we didn't know it would happen," Caitlin said in defense. "And trust me, if I had been aiming, I wouldn't have left you half-dead, I would have finished the job,"

"We all think we can kill the person who annoys us or bullies us but when you have to actually look a person in the eye and watch him or her as they die, well let's just say it would take an especially cold-hearted bastard or bitch to do that."

"Okay Allen, I'm out of here. You're getting too philosophical for it to be good," Caitlin said.

"That's because you know I'm right," Barry yelled out after her.

"Believe what you want, I'm leaving," Caitlin called out.

"Goodbye Ms. Snow." Barry called out.

"It's Doctor!" Caitlin yelled.

* * *

A picture of Hartley Rathaway was displayed at every monitor in the Cortex while Cisco tried his best not to look at it, which confused Barry as Caitlin and Dr. Wells sighed.

"Why? Do you guys know him?" Barry asked the group but it was more to Cisco than anyone else.

"Unfortunately, yes, we know him." Cisco said as he now stared at the picture of the smirking Hartley Rathaway.

"Why?"

"He's mostly a jerk-knows-it-all, but every once in a while, he could be a dick." Barry repressed a laugh at Cisco distaste at the former employee.

"He's like you, Fleet Feet. A jerk but smart nonetheless." Caitlin said as Barry groaned at the insult and the nickname.

"Whatever," Barry said with a sigh, "I'm getting tired of fighting with you, Caitlin."

"Hey! Stop it!" Cisco quickly yelled to the both of them before Caitlin could retort back, "For one minute, just please, at least tolerate each other."

"I would if she wasn't such a bitch!" Barry replied.

"Because you're a jerk!"

"I'm a jerk because I wouldn't accept your half-hearted apology!?" Barry asked, irritated.

"No, you're a jerk because you questioned me even when I saved your life!" Caitlin replied as Cisco just pinched the bridge of his nose, getting tired of the bickering.

"Okay! You saved my life. Like we haven't heard that one before. You know, any good doctor could have done that. You're not so special," Barry sneered at her before running away.

"Why can't you just put your differences aside? We're all friends here, why hate each other?" Cisco asked with a frown, "Caitlin you need to grow up, both of you need to."

"Says the one who wears a t-shirt saying "Han shot first" and the one who has a collection of action figures, I think you're not the one to tell me that, Cisco."

"Barry's right about you, you are a bitch," Cisco said before walking out of the cortex.

"What's bothering you Dr. Snow? You've been more… grumpy this morning." Dr. Wells asked as he wheeled in close to the bioengineer.

"It's nothing, Dr. Wells. It's just…" Caitlin trailed off, "It's not fair that Ronnie died a whole year ago, and I can't believe that Barry is alive while he's not."

"And that excuses your behavior?" Wells asked seriously.

"No, but-" The alarm sounded as Barry and Cisco walked back in the Cortex, cutting Caitlin off.

"Rathaway Industries needs my help." Barry said before flashing away in his suit.

Hartley Rathaway is standing outside his parent's company, wearing a black hood and futuristic looking gloves that emits a green glow as Barry skidded to a stop in front of him.

"What do you want, Hartley?" Barry asked pointedly.

"You know my name?! I know some names too. Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon, and Harrison Wells. Do you know them too?" Barry frowned as Hartley said everyone back in the labs.

Just for that, Barry quickly grabbed him and ran all the way back to STAR and placed him in a cell where they began to question him.

"I take it the Particle Accelerator did something to you?" Barry asked.

"Apart from damaging my eardrums beyond curing? No, no powers here but I do have my brain."

"So, did you solve Einstein's riddle at a young age?" Barry smirked.

"Not much of a riddle, more like common logic," Hartley responded.

"What do you want Hartley?" Cisco asked.

"Why do you always question my motives Cisco? Believe it or not, we're on the same side here," Hartley said.

"Excuse us if we don't take your word for it," Caitlin said.

"As cold as ever Dr. Snow. Never did get that wedding invite," Hartley smirked at that comment, already well aware of what actually happened.

"Shut the hell up," Barry demanded of him. He may not like Caitlin, but he would not tolerate speaking ill of the dead. Ronnie was a hero, he died saving Central City. It wasn't his fault he had terrible taste in women.

"How did you figure out where the Flash worked out of?" Cisco questioned him.

"I tracked every sighting of the Flash and the direction he was running. In every instance, he would always run in this general direction," Hartley revealed. "It wasn't that much of a stretch to make an educated guess."

"Well, looks like that big brain of yours failed Hartley. Cause you're our prisoner now and you're not getting out ever again. Even you couldn't stop the Flash," Cisco taunts him.

With that, there was nothing left to say as they all exited the Pipeline. "I know he wasn't the bully I was thinking of taking down, but damn that felt good," Cisco said as they left.

"Thank you." Caitlin hesitantly said to Barry, "You know, for shutting up Hartley when he mocked me. Also, I'm sorry for acting like that earlier, it was not right of me, I hope you can see through that."

"I didn't accept your apology months ago because I knew you didn't mean it, I could hear the reluctance in your voice," Barry explained himself.

"It's not that I don't mean it, it's just hard to find the right words to say, you know. It's also hard to admit your own mistakes." Caitlin explained to Barry as Cisco watched them have a somewhat calm conversation.

"Yeah, I don't really like that about my father. He can never admit his own mistakes and he berates people. I suppose I can't be too hard on him though, he grew up with a mother who was always talking down to him," Barry explained.

"So… does that mean you forgive me?" The auburn colored-haired doctor asked.

"Well, that depends, are you going to stay civil towards me? Because otherwise no." Barry commented.

"I'll try." Caitlin replied with a tone of humor in her voice.

"I was told once by a high school counselor that holding a grudge towards someone is like holding a really uncomfortable wicker basket. The only person it hurts is yourself. I don't want to be that person anymore. So, I guess if you start being "you" again, I'll just have to pay you no mind." Barry smirked.

"Are you guys feeling a group hug?" Cisco asked them as he opened his arms, "Come on."

"Dr. Snow?" Barry asked her in question, the question was, "I'll do it if you do,"

"Sure thing, Mr. Allen."

The three friends hugged with big smiles on their faces, but their moment was interrupted by Dr. Wells wheeled in close to them.

"Dr. Snow, are you ready to start behaving in a professional manner, now?" Wells asked with a smirk.

"Yes, Dr. Wells." Caitlin nodded her head, making her hair bounce up and down.

"You two fought each other, like it was a high school rivalry." Harrison commented.

"Not our finest moments, anyways, we still have some work to do." Caitlin walked away towards her lab, leaving Cisco, Wells and Barry, who followed her retreating form with his gaze, alone.

Barry went back to the CCPD and completed his job for the day, and decided to try his hand at a dating site called MatchDotCom.

Meanwhile, Cisco was looking over Harley's gloves or as Cisco dubbed his former coworker, Pied Piper. There was something wrong about the gloves, they were set at the lowest setting, as if Hartley wanted to be caught… Hartley wanted to be caught!

Hartley pulled out a nanotech based bomb that was hidden inside his ear and placed it in front of the pipeline entrance, blasting Cisco away, who just arrived at the pipeline, knocking him out.

Caitlin heard the explosion and went to check it, only to find Hartley typing on a computer and then he saw her…

"Send me a postcard for the date of the wedding, Caitlin. Ciao." Hartley grabbed his gloves and used it to send Caitlin backwards, making her hit her head on the wall and that knocked her out.

* * *

Once Caitlin was awake, Barry had already taken down Hartley and he was back in the Pipeline. Despite not having powers, he was too dangerous to be let loose without constant surveillance. He knew where the Flash operated from and learned of his identity. Until they could safely determine that he was no longer a threat, they would have to keep him locked up for the time being.

It still felt wrong to keep him here. He may have broken the law and caused a lot of destruction in the city, but he was still human. This was a matter for the police, but they couldn't risk Hartley giving away their secret.

Cisco personally asked to be his caretaker. Sending him food and making sure he wasn't using his time in the bathroom to try and escape. Cisco was going to be installing a toilet in the cells soon enough.

Caitlin didn't understand why, but she sort of felt it may be to gloat. That's what she would do if LaRoche was locked down here. She would rub it in her face everyday if she could. Unfortunately that wasn't the case.

Caitlin and Barry were on better terms now. They weren't friends by a long shot. Constantly being in argument since the day they met did that, but they were on speaking terms. Their fights turned more into gentle teasing, but there were still fights that left with one of them storming off. But still, progress. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Their new meta was a woman by the name of Shawna Baez. She was, in simple terms, able to transport herself from one location to the next. She used her powers to break her boyfriend out of jail, and managed to outmaneuver Barry at his best speed, currently at least.

They were trying to figure out a way to take her down, but her powers seemed virtually untouchable. It wasn't even a fight between her and Barry. It was more a game of cat and mouse.

"We weren't even fighting, it was like a game of…" Barry said before being interrupted by Caitlin.

"Peek-a-boo!" Caitlin shouted, thinking it could be a good name.

Seeing the weirded faces she tried to defend herself. "Come on, can't I get one?"

"I would have gone with Blink, cause, you know, you blink and she's somewhere else," Cisco suggested his own idea.

"Well, either way, how am I supposed to catch someone who can travel to the other side of the city in a second? Even I can't go that fast," Barry reminded them.

"We will figure out her limits, just like every other, using the cells you collected from the prison, but in the meantime, I suggest you relax." Dr. Wells said. "We will find her, I guarantee you."

"Yeah, okay, that's good," Barry says. "I've got to go meet with Iris, I'm helping her with an article,"

"Going off to stalk her and try to ruin her relationship?" Caitlin teased him, knowing of his slight obsession with his foster sister that started when the two first met.

"I am not stalking her! I am offering her help and she accepted. It is nothing like that, Ms. Frosty," Barry said.

Through it all, the nicknames had stuck. Instead of a use of insult, it was more of a term of endearment.

"Alright Fleet Feet. Have fun stalking her. This'll make a great story to tell the kids," Caitlin said.

"I am not stalking her!" Barry yelled before flashing away.

* * *

Iris thought he was stalking her. She had completely forgotten about them meeting up and had made plans with her boyfriend, Eddie, to go to the movies.

That was rough. Now he didn't have any plans for the night, but it wasn't something that particularly bothered him. He wasn't sure why considering his massive crush on Iris since they were children. Her spending time with her boyfriend wasn't as heart wrenching as it was before.

Deciding not to waste the night sulking, he called up STAR Labs to see if there was anything he could do.

"Hello?" a female voice answered. He sighed. He was hoping for Cisco.

"What kind of bars did Shawna and Mark frequent?" Barry got straight to the point.

"Excuse me?" Caitlin asked.

"I was planning on checking them out. See if they went back to their old habits," Barry answered.

"Plans with Iris didn't pan out like you thought?" she guessed with a smirk.

"She completely forgot about them," Barry confirmed.

"Mark and Shawna mostly hung out in south side dive bars," Caitlin said. "I'll join you,"

* * *

Barry had arrived at a bar that fit the description of one that Shawna and Mark used to hang out in. Neither of them showed up, but Barry didn't have much hope that either would. He was just trying to find something to do and this seemed like the best option. Better than staying home and not being able to decide what to watch on Netflix.

He was still expecting Caitlin when he heard the door open and he instinctively turned to face whoever it was that entered. He was shocked to see that it was Caitlin. She had put on a small black dress and had touched up on her make-up. A few streaks of hair were bleached due to her powers, but that just made her look more beautiful in his opinion. Not that he would ever admit to his inner thoughts.

Caitlin, seeing his look of disbelief, starting to question the way she decided to dress up tonight. Looking down on herself, she asked, "Too much?"

"No, no, you look great, and this is coming from me, so you know it must be true," Barry said.

"Well, I figured I would seize the opportunity. Let's be honest, Shawna and Mark aren't likely to show up tonight, but we can still have some fun." Caitlin said. "I mean, you're not the first person I would think of to have fun with, but you'll do,"

"Hey, I will have you know that I am plenty fun," Barry denied.

"Is that why Iris completely forgot about your plans tonight? What do you do in your spare time? Netflix?" Caitlin teased him.

"No," Barry denied. "I also go for runs around the city,"

"So you have no life?" Caitlin asked with a smirk.

"Shut up Caitlin," Barry said. "It's not like you're any better. Your entire social life revolves around STAR Labs. I am one of the closest things you have for a friend, and we don't even really like each other, we just kind of tolerate each other,"

"I do have a life. I cook, and I eat, and I read, and I… help you…" Caitlin trailed off.

"So basically you just described what it is like to not have a life," Barry said, smirking at her.

"You don't have to be so rude about it," Caitlin flushed at having to admit to having no life.

"But that's why we're here aren't we? Try to get a life?" Barry suggested.

"Killing two birds with one stone. Here's to liquid courage," Caitlin said, as she raised a glass and downed the whole thing in one go.

"Wow, that is very fast," Barry said as he watched Caitlin drink the whole thing.

"Before I forget, I made something for you during my spare time. When we found out your metabolism wouldn't allow you to get drunk, I worked my ass off to make this so I could record you during your drunken haze and blackmail you with it," Caitlin handed him a vial.

"I have several others with me, so you don't need to worry about running out," Caitlin gestured to her purse.

"Wow, thanks Caitlin, even if it was for evil intentions, I appreciate it," Barry said, as he was about to raise the vial to his lips. "You don't have a camera with you, do you?"

"What? No," Caitlin said, as she stuffed her phone back into her pocket.

"Uh huh," Barry looked at her suspiciously for a second before shrugging and drinking the vial, "Wow! Yeah, I feel that!"

Barry felt so excited as he could finally feel the buzz of alcohol without it instantly going away. "How much of this stuff you got?" he asked.

"More than enough so you don't need to worry," Caitlin assured him.

This couldn't go wrong, could it?

* * *

"I'm The Flash!" Barry yelled for the entire bar to hear. Luckily nobody really took him too seriously.

Caitlin was also very drunk. Otherwise, she wouldn't be cheering him on as well as all the others in the bar.

Barry was chugging down bottles and shots left and right, none of them really affecting him since they were all normal, but he was already drunk from the concoction Caitlin created, so nobody could tell the difference. People were cheering him on thinking he had great tolerance.

Caitlin soon wandered off to the stage. She had no idea why, but she wanted to sing with Barry. Already having a song in place, she called him up. "Barry Allen, come on down!" she shouted for him.

"Come on, up here with me," Caitlin pleaded to him. "Oh, come on, don't be shy. Barry! Barry! Barry!" Soon she got the entire crowd egging Barry on to come up on stage and perform a song with her.

Barry finally relented and ran up to join her, only stumbling and apologizing to pieces of furniture a few times.

"I'm not much of a singer," Barry tells her. "And you're not much of a drinker,"

"We are going to bring this place down," Caitlin gestures to the entire building.

With that, they began to sing the song Caitlin selected, which was Summer Nights from the movie Grease.

While Barry sang beautifully, even while drunk, you could definitely see why Caitlin needed to be intoxicated before she would ever perform on stage. Her voice was entirely off, but whether it was like that naturally or because she was drunk was a mystery.

After they got off the stage, they both took a seat at a table before ordering another round of drinks. "You're fast and you can sing? What can't you do?" Caitlin asked him. She was honestly surprised at the sheer amount of abilities Barry seemed to possess even without his powers.

"Stop you from drinking apparently, maybe it's time for us to go home Caitlin," Barry said.

"Good idea, take me home Barry." Caitlin said.

"How do you want to do this?" Barry asked.

"I want to ride you. Just take me in your arms and let me ride you into the night where you'll take me home and place me on my nice soft bed," Caitlin told him.

Some people turned to them at the comment as it could be deemed a little inappropriate. Some guys were looking at Barry with jealousy in their eyes.

"Sure, we could take the long way, that way you'll be able to ride me all night long," Barry said.

At that point, the women were looking at Caitlin in jealousy.

"I don't know if I'll be able to handle that for so long. Maybe just a few hours though," Caitlin commented on that.

"Alright, let's hurry up," Barry grabbed her and led her outside. He at least had the mind to make sure they were out of sight before using his powers in public without his suit.

Pulling Caitlin close in his arms, he could feel her body pressed against his. It was surprisingly warm considering her powers, but he just knew that he liked the feeling of her in his arms.

After several wrong addresses and accidental break-ins, Barry finally managed to get to the right address for Caitlin.

"You know, you were really good at singing tonight," Caitlin told him.

"Thanks, you weren't so bad," Barry said.

"Oh please, I'm pretty sure I made a few ears cry with blood by the end of my performance," Caitlin shrugged him off, while slipping out of her heels before moving on the pulling her dress off. Barry turned to face the other way when she did. He was raised a gentleman and even drunk, he wouldn't let that stop him.

"Yeah, you were pretty terrible Ms. Frosty," Barry said, laughing.

"Shut up Fleet Feet, just be glad I didn't puke on you during that run. Tequila and superspeed, not a good combination." Caitlin said.

She tried to pull the dress off of her, but with her drunken mind, she couldn't. "A little help please," Caitlin begged him.

"You, asking me for help?" Barry clarified and finding the irony in the situation.

"Don't get used to it, just get these clothes off of me," Caitlin said.

Barry turned around to see a half naked Caitlin in front of him. He was slightly shocked and, while he would never admit it, aroused by the sight. "Yeah, okay," he said in a breathy voice.

He went forward and slowly unzipped the zipper on the back, which made it much easier for him to slip Caitlin out of it.

When he did, they both noticed how close the two of them were. Staring into each other's eyes, they both felt the attraction pulling them closer together until there was barely any space between the two.

"We promised we would never do it again," Caitlin whispered.

"Some promises are meant to be broken," Barry whispered back. He leant forward and captured her lips in another kiss, one they both promised themselves would never happen.

Caitlin immediately responded and kissed him back, placing her hands under his shirt to try to get it off. It wasn't fair that she was missing her top while Barry was still fully clothed.

Breaking apart momentarily to get the rest of their clothes off, Caitlin led him into her bedroom. They both wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

* * *

When morning came, Caitlin wanted to shield her eyes from the stabbing light coming from her window. She just wanted to snuggle up to the very comfortable heated pillow beside her.

When she realized she didn't have a heated pillow, she opened her eyes in shock, because there was a person in her bed with her, and by the feeling of it, neither of them were wearing any clothing.

She screamed. "Ahhh!"

"Ahhh!" the voice screamed back, jolting upright at the sudden sound.

Oh my god. It was Barry.

"BARRY?! What are you doing here?!" Caitlin pulled the blanket that was covering their naked bodies, making Barry fall to the side of the bed, and used it to cover her own body.

"CAITLIN?! Wh-what happened?"

"Oh fuck, tell me we didn't… this isn't…" Caitlin stuttered, not wanting to believe what happened.

"I think we did," Barry had a disgusted look on his face.

"Well, way to make a girl feel special," Caitlin said.

"What?" Barry asked confused.

"You don't tell a girl that you had sex with her and make that face," Caitlin told him.

"I don't even remember much of last night, how is that even possible? I thought I couldn't get drunk," Barry asked her.

"I must have given you this serum I've been developing that should have gotten you drunk. You know what I was thinking the entire time I was making it? '_What kind of sad, lonely, pathetic, and drunk enough girl would be desperate enough to try to get into your pants if this actually worked,'_ Well the joke's on me," Caitlin said.

"I will have you know Caitlin, that I am an excellent lover, and you seemed to enjoy it considering the amount of scratch marks the bed made," Barry says.

"Scratch marks? Oh my god," Caitlin groaned in frustration.

Taking a look around her room, she picked up on several things that indicated the use of their powers. There was a burn mark on her wall that must have been the electricity coming from Barry. There was a puddle of water with little ice cubes on her floor that must have come from her. The two powers must have cancelled each other out. And why was she so sore in places she never knew could be sore? And she was a doctor.

"You should leave," Caitlin tried to shoo him out. They were both still naked and Caitlin wasn't going to allow him to be in the room while she changed. As much as she was loathe to admit it, Barry's naked body was affecting her and she didn't know if she could handle it if she took her blanket off.

Barry moved to pick up his discarded clothes around the room, but before he left, he asked her one question. "Did you regret last night?"

"It was a mistake that should never have happened and we will never speak of it again," Caitlin told him.

"But did you regret it?" Barry asked once more.

Caitlin put some thought into her answer and said, "I can't even remember what I'm supposed to regret," deciding to pretend the night never happened.

Barry, satisfied, but slightly disappointed, with her answer, nodded and left the room and out of the apartment to get ready for the day.

* * *

Still dealing with a hangover, Caitlin walked into STAR Labs with massive sunglasses to try to block all the light as well as warm clothing because her powers weren't doing her any favours. Freezing temperatures with a headache were not helpful.

"Good morning Dr. Snow," Barry whispered to her, but to her, he was practically screaming.

"So loud," Caitlin mumbled. "How are you okay?"

"This morning I had a hangover that lasted two minutes, I think I'm immune," Barry snickered.

"Damn you and you're powers Fleet Feet," Caitlin said in a low voice. She couldn't handle the sound of her own voice, that was how bad she was feeling. How could Barry just stand there with that smug expression that she wanted to wipe off. Even though she was probably part of the reason it was on there.

"You're in pain, so I won't give you too much grief Ms. Frosty," Barry said. "So you will never believe what happened to me last night, I hooked up with a girl,"

"Please shut up," Caitlin begged him, not having the strength to stop him from talking with her powers.

Barry openly laughed at that.

Walking into the Cortex, they were both met with Cisco and Dr. Wells. Apparently Hartley Rathaway had managed to escape while he and Cisco were conducting an investigation on Ronnie. Ronnie had somehow survived the explosion and now he was a meta as well.

Caitlin had heard reports of the Burning Man, but had never seen a picture. If she did, she would have instantly recognized her supposedly dead fiance. But Hartley revealed it wasn't exactly Ronnie. Ronnie's body was alive, but he had merged with a Dr. Martin Stein and now the doctor's brain was in control.

It saddened Caitlin to say, but Ronnie was gone. It may be Ronnie's body, but it wasn't Ronnie. They couldn't decide what to do with him though. Cisco wanted to capture him and bring him back to STAR Labs, but Caitlin wanted to leave it be. Barry and Dr. Wells proposed that they just try to track him down and make sure he wasn't hurting anyone before taking any action.

Before any of that though, they still had Shawna Baez to deal with. An interesting thing was found when observing her cells. Shawna's cells were in constant motion, but if light is removed, they were completely still. That meant she could only teleport to locations where she could see. If they could hinder her eyesight, then she wouldn't be able to go anywhere and would be left a sitting duck.

They managed to get a hit off facial recognition and got to them before they got out of Central City.

Barry was able to isolate them in a tunnel and took out the lights making it completely dark. Without anything outside the car to see, Shawna couldn't escape, but not before Mark bailed on her for his own freedom.

They placed her in a containment cell that had one way glass. She wouldn't be able to see out, but they could see her. With no view of the outside world, Shawna was trapped going around in circles.

It was still awkward between Barry and Caitlin after the night they had, so they both immediately parted ways after making sure their prisoner was secured. But if nothing else, that night showed that they could both have fun with their lives. They weren't stuck in a tunnel with nowhere else to go.

* * *

**Well, that was longer than expected. I honestly have no idea where that came from. Took me by surprise when I decided to add it, but I felt there was just so much sexual tension between the two that I had to let it all out. Don't expect anything to come of it though. We are still a long ways away before I decide to bring them together.**

**Tell me what you thought. I'll get back to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, stay safe. Wash your hands, keep clean. It's a dangerous world out there.**


	5. Consequence

**So what is this? Chapter 5? I think that's right. Anyway, welcome to the newest chapter of 'I Hate You, I Guess That's Love'. Brought to you by Ben23ten, co-authored by Brightburn1985 and thomasmarieamell. Check those two out as well. If you want to see some more of my work, I co-authored Brightburn1985's 'Another Life on Consolidated Planets'. But that did not turn out how I originally planned. If you want to know what I intended, message me and I'll hit you back if you want.**

**Disclaimer: I have no rights to anything Arrowverse related.**

* * *

Ronnie was back.

Caitlin couldn't believe it, he was actually back. After learning of a dangerous heat signature that was coming from the fire meta, they were forced to confront them. After some testing, it was determined that the FIRESTORM matrix was unstable and would go nuclear if they wouldn't be able to separate the two.

They had a choice. Either kill the two now and save millions of lives from the explosion, or try to find something that would be able to split the two before the explosion.

Obviously they went with the second option. No matter how small of a chance, they would always try to save their friends.

They were almost out of time, and they almost didn't think it worked since an explosion still occurred, but it proved relatively harmless as it was just the two separating.

Caitlin was overjoyed to have Ronnie back, but it wasn't like how she pictured it. She had everything she wanted, but so much had happened in the past year that things weren't the same.

When Ronnie offered that they move away from Central City, Caitlin immediately declined. There was so much going on now that she wouldn't be able to get herself to leave. She would regret it for the rest of her life if she did.

Well she didn't immediately decline. She was in the middle of a text war with Barry when the conversation started.

"So Caitlin I was thinking…" Ronnie started.

"Mhmm hmmm," Caitlin mumbled, staring at her phone. Barry had yet to respond to her text about how she was enjoying a cup of coffee with Ronnie while he was stuck in the friend zone with Iris.

"After everything that's happened recently, I was thinking that we could get away from here," Ronnie said.

"Oh, Ronnie, I…" her phone signalled a response. She picked it up to read what he said.

'_Guess you're wasting no time in catching up. Hope the neighbours don't complain. ;)'_

"That jerk!" Caitlin exclaimed.

"What happened?" Ronnie asked.

"Barry just texted that we were catching up and not to disturb the neighbours," Caitlin told him.

"Why would we be…?" Ronnie said before slowly realizing. "Oh…"

"Yeah," Caitlin says, before typing rapidly on her phone.

"What are you doing?" Ronnie asked her.

"I'm texting him back. What do you think of, '_It's like we never parted, just as I remember,'_?" Caitlin asked for his opinion.

"Uh, I don't-" Ronnie was extremely confused.

"Oh, I'll just send it anyway," Caitlin typed out her response and hit send. "So, you were saying?"

"Well, I was suggesting that-" Ronnie was trying to say before he was interrupted by the phone again.

When Caitlin read the reply she yelled, "Oh!" before getting her own response ready to send back. "So, Barry just said…"

"You know what?" Ronnie asked, interrupting her. "I'm going to get myself a refill," standing up to get another cup of coffee.

"Okay, hurry back," Caitlin said. Her phone chimed again and she rushed to send another response, not sparing another glance at her fiance.

As Ronnie was ordering another coffee the barista started talking to him. "Tough first date huh?" she asked.

"First date?" Ronnie asked.

"Yeah, you guys just have that vibe," she said. Macy was written on her name tag.

"No, we're actually engaged, but it has been about a year since I've seen her," Ronnie commented.

"What made you go away for so long?" Macy asked.

"A work situation. I'm not really allowed to talk about it," he replied.

"Oh, you work for the government or something?" she asked.

"Something like that," Ronnie said.

"Well, I'm not one to usually judge someone's relationship, but I get the feeling that your girl has moved on from you," Macy said.

"What makes you think that?" Ronnie asked, but he was beginning to see it himself.

"That girl is here at least three days a week. Whenever she is here, she's with this one guy that she constantly argues with, and when they're not together, they're texting each other." Macy informed him. "A lot of us here are making bets on how long it takes until the two of them get together, but if you two are engaged then I guess all bets are off."

"Let me get back to you on that," Ronnie said as another barista handed him his coffee. "Thanks," he went back to his table. It was time for a serious conversation.

* * *

Caitlin was still in the middle of a text argument with Barry when Ronnie sat in front of her but she didn't acknowledge him and just continued to text Barry, making Ronnie slightly irritated. He just came back from the dead and yet his fiance is not even jumping in joy that he's alive but also texting another guy while they are on a date.

"Caitlin we need to talk," Ronnie announced.

"Yeah sure, just let me send this text to Barry real quick," Caitlin said, eyes still focused on her phone as she typed out a message as fast as she could.

"Are you in love with Barry?" Ronnie quickly asked before he could lose his nerve.

"What?" Caitlin asked in shock. Never would she think he would say that. "In love? With Barry?! No! How could you ever think that, you're my fiance,"

"Well things have changed Caitlin. We've changed, we're not the same people we were when we last saw each other. So I'm wondering if you still feel the same way with us because the moment we sat down here, you've been talking with Barry. Everything I've learned about you for the past year always somehow concerns Barry," Ronnie ranted at her.

"Well, Barry has become a big part of my life now. When I first got to know him, I hated him because he represented everything I would have missed out on in a life with you, but now you're back so everything's fine," Caitlin tried to reassure him.

"You can't expect the both of us to be the same after everything that's happened this past year. Which is why I want us to move away from Central City when we get married." Ronnie told her.

"Ronnie, no. My life is here. I've been making something of my life helping to clean the city up with all these meta-humans that the accelerator created. Other than having to work with Barry so closely, I love my life here." Cailtin shot down his idea. "I love you Ronnie, but I'm not moving away from everything, from the Flash,"

"From Barry," Ronnie said.

"Ronnie…" Caitlin says exasperated. She then notices something on the fire meta. A small red dot. Knowing what it was immediately, she jumped from the table and grabbed him. "Get down!" she shouted to everyone before the windows exploded with soldiers coming in shooting up the place.

Why can't they get one conversation without being interrupted?

* * *

Prof. Stein had been kidnapped and it seemed that the connection between Stein and Ronnie was still present, growing stronger even.

This psychic link between the two allowed them to locate Stein in an army base where they managed to get him out quickly thanks to Barry. They weren't sure what would happen if one were to die, but chances were, the other would die with them, so it was lucky Barry managed to grab him before the bullet did.

Once General Eiling was dealt with, they retreated to the safety of STAR Labs. Stein and Ronnie had decided that to keep the people they love safe, they had to leave and learn how to control their powers in a safe environment with people that could help them without having to split their attention between two meta-humans.

Before leaving, they both said goodbye to their significant other, but Ronnie was slightly pulling back since he didn't really know where the two stood anymore. He hoped that they were still lovers, but in all honesty, he didn't know.

It seemed that Caitlin didn't know either considering the fact that she didn't know how she felt about Ronnie leaving. She was saddened he was leaving, but at the same time, there was an empty feeling watching him go, as if there wasn't really anything to let go of.

"Are you okay?" Barry asked after Ronnie and Stein took off into the skies.

"What do you mean? I'm fine." Caitlin answered as she still looked deep in thought.

"You're biting your lower lip, you do that when something is bothering you. What is it?" Barry pointed out as Caitlin found herself biting her lower lip.

"It's nothing, it's just what Ronnie said when we were on a date." Caitlin replied, not denying anymore.

"What did he say?"

"It was stupid. It was crazy," Caitlin waves him off. When he wouldn't stop giving her that look, she relented. "He thought that I was in love with someone else," she said vaguely.

"Are you?" Barry questioned her.

"No!" Caitlin denied. "Things aren't the same with Ronnie, but it has been a year. I can't expect things to be the same. Just because I don't feel the same for my fiance, whom I haven't seen for a year and thought was dead, does not mean I am in love with someone else,"

"Well, you're the one who brought it up," Barry pointed out.

"No, I said Ronnie _thought_ I was in love with someone else, I never said I actually _was_," Caitlin argued.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Barry raised his hands in surrender. "What made him think you were? You didn't tell him we…?"

"No! No, god no," Caitlin assured him.

"Oh, good," Barry nodded.

"Ronnie got it into his head that since we were texting each other so much, we liked each other," Caitlin told him.

Barry stared at her in confusion. "He does know that 90% of our conversations are fights and arguments, right?"

"I know, I told him that," Caitlin said.

"Because we don't like each other," Barry said.

"Exactly,"

"We barely function when we're in a room together,"

"Not at all,"

"How could he think that we could ever be involved with each other?" Barry asked and laughed it off as a ridiculous question.

"I know, right?" Caitlin laughed as well. "I mean, if you think about it, this is all your fault Fleet Feet."

Flabberghast, Barry stared at her. "Ho-how… how is this my fault?"

"Well, if you hadn't been constantly texting me just to antagonize me, we wouldn't be in this situation, and Ronnie wouldn't think that I was in love with you," Caitlin said.

"Hey, my points still stand, but this is not all on me, okay? You responded to my texts, it takes two to tango Ms. Frosty," Barry said.

"You know what I think?" Caitlin asked as if she didn't hear what he said. "I think you're jealous of me,"

"Jealous? Of what," Barry asked her.

"That I actually have a chance at happiness. You knew I was trying to catch up with Ronnie, but you decided to ruin all of that by constantly sending me messages containing sexual innuendos about us," Caitlin said.

"You know, I was actually happy for you when we got Ronnie back. I was thinking, '_Wow, now that he's back maybe Cait won't be such a cold-hearted bitch,'" _Barry told her.

"Okay, maybe I'm not right to accuse you of trying anything," Caitlin acknowledged.

"Thank you," Barry said.

"So explain why you were texting me non-stop when you knew what I was doing. I hoped you respected me enough to give me the decency of catching up with my fiance after a year, but no. You just interrupted us all the time. I could barely get in a sentence with my phone blowing up," Caitlin asked.

"Okay, maybe I was trying to distract you and ruin your date with Ronnie. I _was_ going to text you the entire night if you didn't reply," Barry admitted.

"Why would you do that?" Caitlin asked.

"I don't know," Barry said.

"You don't know? You're going to have to do better than '_I don't know,'_" Caitlin said.

"I just don't know, okay? When you said you were going to get coffee with Ronnie I just, I didn't like it and the next thing I knew the phone was in my hand and I was texting you non-stop," Barry shouted.

"Well just because you're stuck in a slump with your own love life does not give you the right to sabotage mine," Caitlin shouted. "I love Ronnie, and I am going to marry him."

"Can we just talk this out like the civilised, mature, adults that we are?" Barry asked.

"Okay, yes we can do that. Barry I don't-" Caitlin was cut off as she felt something collide with her that gave her spasms, and not the good types. The hit left her sprawling on the ground.

Seeing the slight sparks that came off of Barry, she went to one conclusion. "Did you just throw a lightning bolt at me?"

"Just a small one," Barry gave an innocent smile.

"Since when can you do that?" Caitlin asked.

"Well, I was-" Barry was cut off as well as Caitlin fired a stream of ice at his chest, sending him to follow her to the ground.

Barry was left shivering and ice was covering his chest. Caitlin still had little sparks on her body, causing her little jolts. The lightning wasn't as bad as it could have been, but still. Caitlin was pissed.

Slowly, the two got back to their feet.

They stared at each other for a second before Barry interrupted the silence. "It's on Ms. Frosty,"

"Bring it Fleet Feet," Caitlin replied, before the two got in a mock battle against each other in that front lawn. Neither of them were aware that others were witnessing the whole thing.

* * *

"So, they're not in love with each other?" Prof. Stein's wife, Clarissa, asked Cisco and Dr. Wells.

"No," both Cisco and Wells said at the same time.

"But-"

"We know," they said.

"And-"

"We know," they both had a tired expression on their faces.

"Yet she's still with-" Clarissa gestured to the sky in the direction her husband and his new partner flew off in.

"Yes," they said once again as all three of them watched the two metas duke it out on the woman's front lawn.

"They're idiots," Clarissa said.

"We know," Cisco and Harrison said once again.

* * *

Returning back to the West House, Barry was grumbling the entire time.

Iris was also home, having been looking for a new job as she felt it was time to move on from Jitters. "Hey, what's got you so down? Work or STAR?" she asked.

"STAR," Barry told her.

"Oh, so how's _Caitlin,"_ Iris put emphasis on her name.

"Well first of all she…" Barry trailed off as he repeated what Iris said in his head. "When did I say this was about Caitlin?"

"Isn't it always?" Iris questioned.

Ignoring her remark, Barry continued. "And why are you saying her name like that?"

"Like what?" Iris feigned ignorance.

"Like how you used to say _Becky Cooper,_" Barry said.

"Okay, Becky Cooper was a nightmare of a girlfriend and you should have never gone out with her," Iris defended herself.

"I'm not going out with Caitlin," Barry said to her.

"You're not?" Iris asked, shocked. Barry shook his head no. "Well damn. I just lost twenty bucks,"

"Wait, you betted over my love life?! O-or lack thereof?! With who?!" Barry asked, bothered and surprised that his best friend would do such a thing.

"With my friends that I worked with at Jitters. There was a betting pool on how long it would take you two to get together," Iris told him. "I said you guys had been dating for the past few months,"

"Well that is just not true," Barry said. "We don't like each other at all. If we were the only living things left on Earth, I would choose the best rock as my girlfriend."

"You're so weird Barry," Iris said.

"And you said her name like that. Why would you think she was my girlfriend if you don't like her?" Barry asked.

"Just because I don't think she's the right girl for you doesn't mean I didn't think you had a thing for her," Iris told him. "I mean, dad and I both felt this heavy, sexual tension between the two of you,"

"There is no-dad? Joe?! Joe thought I was into her?!" Barry shouted. "How could he think I would ever be attracted to her? He has a front seat pass to every one of our arguments,"

"Notice how you said arguments instead of fights?" Iris asked cheekily. "Enemies have fights. Couples have arguments."

"Friends have arguments, and we are just barely in that zone," Barry said.

"Then why did you go out with her? Eddie got called in because of a shootout in the middle of our date, I asked your friend, Cisco, where you are and he said that you are in a bar with Caitlin. I went there and saw the two of you singing on the stage." Iris smirked, knowing she got him cornered.

"I don't even remember most of that night," Barry said. "I was singing?"

"Yeah, you were pretty good yourself," Iris told him. "Caitlin not so much,"

"You know what? I'm leaving, I don't have to take this with you," Barry was heading towards the door.

"You're in denial, just admit your feelings for Caitlin," Iris called out.

"My feelings for her consist of hate, rage, and utter frustration," Barry said before leaving the house.

Iris looked at the door for a moment longer before coming to a conclusion. "He's totally in love with her,"

* * *

Caitlin was worried. It may be nothing and there was nothing to be stressed about, but still, Caitlin was facing a situation that she was not at all familiar with.

She was late.

If it was just by a few days, or even a week, she might understand, but once that mark passed and nothing had changed, that was when she was starting to get freaked out.

Her monthly cycle was never this out of schedule. It may be due to all the stress with Ronnie being alive, working with the Flash, developing powers, and trying to protect the city from a threat they had created, but it was still worrying that she wasn't ovulating.

The only other explanation she could think of was…

No. No, she would not think about it. It wasn't possible.

But still, what if it was?

That led to her sitting in her bathroom, patiently waiting for her results to come up. It was embarrassing enough for her to go to the drugstore to get one, but the wait was agonizing. She realized that these things weren't a hundred percent efficient and she would have to get checked by another doctor, but she just had to know.

The alarm rang from her phone, indicating that her unknowing pacing around the bathroom and waiting is over. She went over to the stick and it showed…

There was a faint extra line.

That indicated that she was pregnant. All at once, her body went numb. She was pregnant. She was with child. At least, that's what the test said. She'd have to check with a doctor to make sure, but for now, she was pregnant.

And the father was Barry. She was so screwed.

* * *

Before she went to the doctor, she decided she needed to find Barry and tell him about it. He had a right to know as the supposed father.

She went to CCPD first and asked around. He was in his lab upstairs. She'd been here before and knew the way so she slowly started making her way to his lab. She was so nervous she might puke from the stress.

The door was right in front of her and she took a deep breath to calm herself before pushing the doors back to walk in. There she saw him hunched over a table, looking through a microscope at something.

"Barry," she called him.

Barry turned around to face her. Surprise evident on his face. "Caitlin, what brings you to my workplace?" he asked.

"You know, you spend all day at my workplace. Why can't I come to yours?" Caitlin questioned him.

"We hate each other, why would you come here?" Barry teasingly asked her, "Now, tell me the truth, why are you here?"

"I have to tell you something and I won't blame you if you freak out or something, but I have to tell you," Caitlin said.

"This must be pretty serious for you to tell me," Barry gestured to himself. "Does anyone else know?"

"Just me, and you now, but promise you won't tell anyone like with my powers, this is too important," Caitlin asked.

"Alright I guess, so what is it?" Barry asked once more.

"Barry, I'm… pregnant." Caitlin nervously told him as his eyes went wide and his mouth opened agape.

"So, you're pregnant?" Barry asked in confirmation. When Caitlin nodded, he took a deep breath. "When are you telling Ronnie?"

"Ronnie?" Caitlin asked in confusion.

"I mean, as the father, shouldn't he know?" Barry asked.

"Barry, I haven't been intimate with him since he left the first time, when I thought he died," Caitlin told him. "And I haven't been with anyone else since you,"

Barry had a look of dawning realization on his face. "So, that means…"

"It's not confirmed, but if I'm pregnant, you're the father,"

"You're telling me that I am possibly a father? I'm gonna be a father?" Barry asked with tears and a smile on his face.

"Don't look too excited, I'm not sure if I want you involved with this child's life, I just thought you should know before I make a decision," Caitlin said.

"What decision? This is my child," Barry said to her. "If you are, we are going to raise it with love and safety,"

"We are not doing anything, this is my decision whether I'm keeping it or not," Caitlin told him.

"Not my decision?! That's my child too, you can't just take him or her away from me. Plus, if I'm with my child, I can protect it." Barry reasoned, looking more agitated by the second.

"I can protect it just fine, we don't need you Barry. I only told you because I felt that you had a right to know, and it's not even confirmed if I am pregnant. Stop treating it like it's already here," Caitlin shouted.

"But what if you're actually pregnant?! You're gonna raise it alone, making it think that he or she wasn't loved by his father?! Can you bear the thought of him or her being miserable because I wasn't there for him or her?" Barry questioned, "I am going to be a part of this child's life whether you want me to or not Caitlin," Barry stood his ground.

"I am going to leave, see a doctor about this," Caitlin gestured to her stomach region. "And _then_ we are going to talk about this,"

* * *

Everything went wrong. A new meta was discovered, Mark Mardon. The brother of Clyde Mardon and he had the exact same powers as his brother, only more powerful and precise.

He had paralyzed the police captain by striking him with a lightning bolt, and kidnapped Joe before threatening to destroy the city with a tsunami.

Barry tried to save them all. Creating a barrier of wind on the coastline by running back and forth, but even then he was unsure of whether or not he would be able to save everyone. And through it all he had the feeling that something terrible had happened to one of his friends.

But then, he saw something. A glowing hole that he didn't have time to avoid and he was back on the streets with the night sky above. Taking a look around he thought he saw himself running beside him.

Pausing in his run, he took in everything. It was exactly as he remembered it to be. Yesterday.

What just happened?

* * *

**A little shorter than I intended, but hey I'm on vacation. Hope all of you are enjoying your March Breaks and staying safe at the same time.**

**Tell me what you thought, leave your reviews, any concerns should the need arise.**

**Caitlin's pregnant. Who saw that coming? Seriously though, how obvious was it I was going to add in a pregnancy scare? Leave your thoughts on what you think I'm going to do with the baby. Who knows what I'm going to do with it? Well I know. I'm just letting you all suffer a whole week in anticipation.**

**Anyway, adios and till we meet again.**


	6. Fluctuations

**Well nobody really guessed what was going to happen with the baby so maybe this will come as a shock to everyone to see what I decided to do with it. Thanks though to everyone who has expressed their liking of the story by reviewing, following, or have favourited the story. Your support means the world to me.**

**As always, I have my co-authors to thank for their help, Brightburn1985 and thomasmarieamell.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash**

* * *

Cisco was having a weird day. He felt like this had all happened before. It was the strongest sense of deja vu he ever experienced.

He even felt like he'd seen the new meta, Mark Mardon before, but he knew he never even saw a picture of him before today.

Barry looked to be waiting for something. He would casually look at Caitlin as if he was waiting for her to say something, but as usual, Caitlin never gave him the time of day whenever they weren't arguing. What? Did Barry do something and was waiting in anticipation for Caitlin to retaliate? That seemed likely.

"Okay!" Cisco loudly said, capturing the attention of the other two, "I vibe some pretty thick tension in this room and you two are gonna tell me about it." He said to his best friends.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Cisco," Caitlin asked in confusion.

"Barry?" Cisco asked the speedster.

"I think I need to go to CCPD right now," Barry said, obviously distracted by whatever was going through his head. "I'll talk to you later," he said, looking at Caitlin, which surprised them all that he was expecting to actually talk and not fight.

"Okay, that's weird. He avoided the question then he said he was gonna talk to you? What is it about?" The engineer asked in curiosity and suspicion.

"Like I have any idea what goes through his head. I'm not his keeper. Out of the two of us, it should be you who knows," Caitlin said to him.

"Well, obviously I don't, that's why I took a shot and asked you," Cisco asked the icy meta. "When something is bothering him, it usually involves you,"

"Not this time. At least, not that I'm aware of. It looked like he was expecting something. Maybe he's waiting for someone to tell him something," Caitlin suggested.

"Were you planning on telling him something this morning by any chance? Maybe a reminder or your daily arguments?" Cisco questioned.

At that moment, Barry whooshed back in, carrying Mark Mardon in chains. How did he find him already? There goes Cisco's excuse on bailing his brother's birthday.

"I know you're The Flash and all but how did you find him so fast? You didn't even need our help." Cisco asked as he suspiciously stared at Barry. Something is very weird about Barry today.

"I went through some old cases for the Mardons and decided to check them out. Guess I got lucky. Now, let's get this guy in the Pipeline before he wakes up," Barry pointed to the criminal.

* * *

"Mr. Allen, can I have a moment with you in my office?" Dr. Wells asked, squinting his eyes at the speedster.

"Sure, Dr. Wells," Barry agreed before making his way into the office, followed by Wells. "So, what is this about?" he asked.

"I want you to be completely honest with me, Mr. Allen. The chances of you finding Mardon are pretty low and you're acting strangely today. What happened?"

"Dr. Wells, I'm not sure whether I should be telling you this, but I was running to stop this tsunami that Mardon created and then the next second…" Barry said.

"You found yourself in a completely different place at a completely different time," Dr. Wells concluded.

"Yeah, all that happened today happened yesterday for me. Now, Caitlin is pregnant and she doesn't want me-" Barry was cut off by Wells raising his arms up to silence him. He was slightly shocked at the prospect of Barry and Caitlin together. That was something he wasn't expecting for a long while. He didn't let the shock stop him from saying what needed to be said though.

"First off, you never should have altered history. You should have let the things that were supposed to happen run its course." Wells said. "It's admirable that you wanted to save people, but imagine if you went further back? A year, a hundred years, you would change the events of history so much it would become unrecognizable,"

"But Dr. Wells…" Barry tried to say.

"Second of all, you can't tell me or anyone for that matter about the future. You can't tell us what will happen, you need to keep that information to yourself." Dr. Wells continued, ignoring Barry's annoyed look for being cut off.

Barry nodded in understanding.

"Lastly, Caitlin is not pregnant," Dr. Wells said.

Barry had a shocked look on his face. "How do you know?"

"I was unfortunate enough to take out the trash the past few days and in one of them was a pad covered in blood," Dr. Wells informed him.

"Oh, I guess I changed some things. I-I should go, Captain Singh might be looking for me…" Barry trailed off as he stood up and walked out of Well's office, hearing and knowing that he wasn't a father shattered his heart, more than seeing Iris with Eddie.

"Barry, you should let it go. You thought you were a father for a day. You still have the rest of your life to have a family, whether it be with Caitlin or not," Dr. Wells said.

"I know but… I was so happy, Dr. Wells. But Caitlin doesn't want me to be part of our non-existent child, maybe it's not in the cards for me to, you know, be a father." Barry sadly told the scientist.

"You're going to be a great father, Barry Allen." Dr. Wells said with a knowing look in his eyes. "Trust me, I know,"

"Thank you, Dr. Wells. I should get going though, I still don't know what else I changed." Barry said to his idol.

Dr. Wells had a worried look on his face upon the reminder that the timeline had changed. "Yes, hopefully nothing of consequence has been altered too drastically. Just promise me you haven't changed anything else,"

"Of course Dr. Wells," Barry nodded.

"Just remember Barry, because you defeated Mardon, someone else will fill the hole you've created. Be on alert," Wells said. "It might be something even more dangerous than what you prevented from happening."

"I doubt it, but thanks," Barry said before he sped away.

Dr. Wells sighed and he started wheeling away. He had something he needed to check on.

* * *

In the Time Vault, Wells waved his hand over a podium to activate something. "Show me the future," he demanded.

An article about The Flash appeared. 'Flash Missing. Vanishes in Crisis' was seen on the headline. As well as something about red skies.

"Okay, good, the future seems to be intact," Wells mumbled to himself. "Be on alert for any changes in the timeline and notify me of anything that could hinder my return,"

"Of course, Dr. Wells." An electronic female voice replied.

"Let's hope nothing happens that could change anything. Things just got more complicated thanks to this," Wells glowered at the image of the future Barry.

With Barry's new ability to time travel, even if he didn't really know how to control it, his plans to return to the future were made difficult. The fact that he can't control it just puts his plan in more jeopardy since at any moment, he could change the timeline again and alter the future and past at the same time.

Raising The Flash was more work than he signed up for.

* * *

Cisco was gone. None of them knew where he was. The last any of them heard of their engineer, Barry was with him in a bar and the speedster left when a girl showed up to talk with Cisco.

"So, are you gonna tell me why you were not-so-subtly gazing at me yesterday?" Caitlin asked, breaking the silence between them.

"I thought you were going to tell me something, but I was overreacting about it and it turned out to be nothing. Don't worry about it," Barry dismissed her. "To be honest, I was kinda excited and was really hoping it was real. For a moment, I felt like everything was going to be okay no matter what was going to happen,"

Barry lightly coughed to interrupt his own monologue. "So, should we be focusing on this?" Barry indicated their new case. Captain Cold was back, and he brought friends. He was the one to take Cisco, and a call to his family showed that his brother, Dante, was missing as well.

Captain Cold had returned, and he brought backup with him. First it was one of his previous partners, Mick Rory who wielded a gun that was in contrast to Snart's. A weapon that projected flames of massive temperatures. Along with Snart's sister, Lisa, who had obtained a weapon of her own. One that turned everything it touched into a golden substance. It wasn't actually gold. It just looked like gold. The only explanation was that they forced Cisco into making these weapons and with the fact that Dante was missing as well, it was likely they were holding him hostage so Cisco would make their guns.

They were doing all they could to find Cisco, and as it turned out, Snart allowed Cisco to walk right out of there the moment he got everything he wanted. A name.

Dante was rushed to the hospital. His fingers were frozen, but with some luck, they wouldn't have to be amputated, however they would never be the same again.

With Cisco safe, they managed to locate Snart and they sent Barry to confront him. He already knew who The Flash was. There was nothing they could do about that. They just had to make sure he wouldn't be telling anyone.

They managed to make a deal. Barry would let their crimes go, let the police handle them, as long as there were no more casualties. The trio were humans, not metas. They weren't their responsibility. As well as a promise not to tell the world of The Flash's identity as well.

While not the most favourable outcome, things could have gone much worse. There was one less villain they had to worry about. They had much bigger fish to fry. Like the Man in Yellow. Barry could feel that they were getting closer than they realized to finding him.

* * *

It all went very fast, even for Barry. It started out with a bombing at Central City Park, it was a man named Trickster. He wears a domino mask and multiple layers of clothes.

However, he wasn't the Trickster, he was a copy. The original Trickster was a man named James Jesse, who was locked up in a maximum security prison after going on a killing spree for a week. When confronted, Jesse was outraged that someone was using his name, and doing a terrible job at it as well apparently.

After what happened with Hartley and whatever happened with Simon Stagg, Barry couldn't feel that he could trust Dr. Wells as much as he used to. He tried to keep his distance subtly, but it was becoming noticeable.

When under the threat of a bomb, Barry deliberately ignored Wells' warning that the bomb was a ruse to keep everyone occupied and the real scheme was happening elsewhere.

It wasn't like they were suggesting doing anything else.

It turned out the two Tricksters were in cohorts with each other and had been planning this for the past year. To get Jesse out of jail and back on the streets. And they were smart enough to take a hostage. Henry Allen, Barry's dad.

Finding them proved to be easy. Iris had unfortunately run into them at the mayor's benefit and was able to call Joe to inform him of what was going on.

The tricky part was apprehending them. Somehow, they strapped a bomb onto Barry's arm and if he wasn't constantly moving at 200 miles per hour, it would explode as well if he would try to remove it.

"How could you let them strap a bomb on you?" Caitlin asked.

"I didn't know what it was! How was I supposed to know it would be dangerous?" Barry yelled.

"They're criminals! And they're crazy. Everything about them is dangerous," Caitlin pointed out. "You should never have let them get close to you, period,"

"I was busy restraining Jesse when Walker came up behind me," Barry tried to defend himself.

"Great, just what we need, a superhero who can only charge head-first into battle," Caitlin mocked him. "Apparently, all we need to do is get behind him and suddenly he's defenceless,"

"This would be easier if I had someone to watch my back, like a certain ice meta who refuses to do anything with her powers," Barry said.

"Hey, it is my choice if I want to go out on the field and risk my life," Caitlin said, slightly offended. "Not all of us have a hero complex we need to act on,"

"I do not have a hero complex!" Barry shouted.

"You literally go out every night in a spandex suit beating up criminals and patrolling the city for crime," Caitlin said to him.

"Can we focus on this bomb on my wrist?" Barry asked.

"You're deflecting Barry," Caitlin noticed. "Don't have an argument?"

"I just really need to get this bomb off of me so I can get back to the Tricksters," Barry said.

"So you can save everyone?" Caitlin asked.

"That's the plan," Barry said.

"Hero complex," Caitlin coughed.

"You know what? Just go back to your lab and make the antidote for the poison, I'm gonna need it as soon as I get this explosive off me." Barry shooed her away. "Alright, so what do I do?"

"Barry, do you see any walls nearby?" Wells asked out of the blue.

"Why?" Barry questioned him suspiciously.

"Because you're going to run into one," Wells said. "Or more accurately, through one,"

"Huh?" Everyone asked.

"When you vibrate at the frequency of air, your body, your cells, will be in a state of excitement that will allow you to phase through that wall, leaving the bomb on the other side," Wells informed them.

"I can't do that!" Barry exclaimed.

"Barry, breathe," Wells attempted to calm him down. "Feel the air on your face. Feel the ground pushing you forward. The lightning. Barry, feel the lightning charging through your body like a shock. You're no longer you now. You're part of something greater. It's yours,"

Feeling inspired, Barry focuses on everything around him and moves as fast as he possibly could.

Up ahead, he sees a truck. Without thinking, he goes right through it and he doesn't stop until he makes it to the other side.

While in that state, it was something Barry couldn't really describe. It was akin to being submerged in water, but instead, the water would go through him instead of around him. Barry only had enough mind to keep moving forward until he could see the street again.

Swiftly checking his wrist, he saw that the bomb was gone. An explosion on the other side of the truck confirmed that the bomb was gone and he was safe. He let out a sigh of relief that he didn't know he was holding. That felt weird.

Going back to STAR, he picked up the antidote. There should be enough to cure everyone at the party. With his plan foiled, hopefully Jesse would reveal the location of his father. It wasn't like he needed him anymore.

Luckily, Jesse was willing to reveal Henry's location. An old abandoned factory, tied to a chair with a crate of knives above him if he were to escape. He wouldn't be able to avoid them. It was a good thing his son was The Flash.

Barry managed to find him and get him out of there before the knives impaled themselves into the man.

Having a feeling his father already knew, Barry took off his mask, revealing himself to be The Flash. He'd made a few hints to being suspicious of who The Flash really was.

When it was shown Barry was The Flash, his father only had one thing to say. "You always did look good in red."

* * *

During Henry's brief period of freedom, Barry invited him on a tour of STAR Labs. Henry was amazed at all the advancements in medicine and technology since he was practising. He was also thankful to the staff of STAR for saving his son from being struck by lightning.

Even during that small amount of time, Caitlin and Barry still managed to squeeze in one argument in front of his father. To which the father smiled at the two, almost as if he was lost in memory.

As he was led away by Joe, who had to take him back to prison, Henry started up a conversation with his old friend now that he was out of hearing range of his son.

"I didn't realize Barry had gotten married while I was gone," Henry commented.

Joe just laughed. Once he was finished, he said, "You have no idea what is going on between those two,"

"Enlighten me," Henry said.

"Bottom line, they say they hate each other. They get into arguments all the time, and constantly oppose the other. They don't get along and there is no common ground between the two." Joe said. "But at the end of the day, they are there for each other no matter what."

"Barry is a lucky guy. Don't find someone like her just anywhere," Henry said, happy for his son.

"Yeah, the problem is he's too stubborn to see it. They both are," Joe shook his head in frustration.

* * *

Barry was thinking. He was staring at the board he created about his mother's murder. After being so close to finding the Man in Yellow during Christmas, he'd been staring at that board everyday.

There was a feeling in the back of his mind. Something he couldn't let go of.

A few months ago, a reporter, Mason Bridge, came to him about a story he was creating about the truth of Dr. Wells, but before he published it, he went missing. His computer was destroyed and files deleted.

He didn't want to believe it at the time, but today, when Wells was walking him through how to phase, his words were just too close to what Barry was actually feeling.

The only way he could know how all that felt, was if he experienced it himself. That meant Wells, at some point, was a speedster. But he'd been paralyzed. He couldn't move his legs at all. Unless that was all a trick.

Like with the Tricksters today, make something obvious because there's something they don't want others to see.

So, if Wells wasn't actually paralyzed and could actually walk, and therefore, run. That meant, Dr. Wells was The Reverse Flash. He didn't know how, he didn't know why. He just knows Wells is the man who killed his mom.

Barry called Joe down to meet him at the precinct. He had to tell him that Joe was right about everything. Every suspicion he had about Wells, it was all true. He wasn't just in league with The Man in Yellow, he was The Man in Yellow.

* * *

Looking into Wells proved to be more difficult than it seemed. Despite being famous and having written an autobiography, the man's life was completely shrouded in mystery. The big take away was that he was enigmatic.

There was only one point in his life that might shed some light into this situation. When his fiance, Tess Morgan, died in a car accident. After that, all of Wells' friends claimed he had become a completely different person.

Joe planned on heading over the Starling City soon, but he couldn't get out of work just yet. So that was put on hold for a while.

An excellent surprise this week was Felicity Smoak was visiting with her boyfriend, Ray Palmer.

Apparently, Ray Palmer was looking to go into the hero business as well considering he built a suit that would allow him to fly and shrink to miniature sizes. He was thinking of calling himself, The Atom.

The problem was, his suit wasn't finished and he couldn't seem to fix the issue with the jetpack, which kept shorting out. So they had decided to come to Cisco as he was a tech genius. They were hoping he could get it fixed.

At the same time, two people had died, due to bee venom. The only thing was, the venom in their bodies was potent enough to kill a herd of wildebeest, and the bees had gone missing. That doesn't happen since bees die after stinging someone.

They suspected the work of a meta who was somehow able to control these bees to do their bidding and somehow prevent them from death after losing their stinger.

When Barry was trapped in a building with these bees, he'd almost died, but luckily Cisco had recently installed electric pads for just a situation in the suit.

After that, Barry became nervous around the STAR staff. He already knew Wells was the Reverse Flash. Could they be in on it too? Could Cisco have deliberately led him to the wrong way out of the building? But then why save him? Why would Wells save him if he murdered his mother? It just didn't make any sense for him.

"That was too close for comfort, Fleet Feet." Caitlin said to him, using her nickname for him but the worry was evident on her voice.

"Worried about me, Ms. Frosty?" Barry teased her.

"As much as I loathe to admit it, this city needs you, _Flash," _Caitlin grumbled.

"I knew I'd worm my way into your heart eventually," Barry smirked.

Caitlin's face felt warm at that comment. She immediately denied Barry's accusations. "There is nothing in my heart for you, Barry Allen. Do you hear me? Nothing!"

"You're pretty cute when you're all flustered and your face is all red," Barry lightly flirted with her. He didn't know what he was doing, it just came naturally to him.

"Shut up," Caitlin mumbled under her breath. It was impressive how hot she felt considering her powers literally controlled the room temperature.

She felt infuriated. Barry wasn't supposed to cause these feelings in her. He was supposed to incite rage and frustration. She wasn't supposed to get butterflies when he showed her that smug expression. Maybe she was coming down with something.

At that moment, Cisco started screaming. There was a bee in the lab. One of the bees must have been in the suit when they brought Barry back. These things worked in swarms, but they had no idea what just one was capable of.

Barry swiftly captured it in a jar to keep it from harming anyone. Once under inspection, they saw that it was not actually a bee. It was a small robot that was designed as a bee.

That meant they weren't dealing with a meta, they were dealing with a hacker. A very skilled hacker to be able to create and control hundreds of robotic bees.

Doing a bit of research, and a quick trip to Mercury Labs, revealed the culprit to be Brie Larvan, the Bug-Eyed Bandit. Cisco and Ray thought of the name together.

It was basically a revenge plan that she was fired for being unstable and her research for these bees was cancelled. Not the most original villain plan.

Ray was sent to distract the bees whilst Barry would take Tina McGee to a safe location before trying to apprehend Larvan. Felicity would work on using her own hacking skills to disable the bees. It actually excited her to find someone who could combat her hacking capabilities. In the end, she won, which gave Barry the time to handcuff her and take her in.

* * *

Before Felicity and Ray would return to Starling, Felicity pulled Barry to the side to have a serious conversation.

"What is going on with you? This entire time you've been treating Cisco, Caitlin, and Wells with hostility. Caitlin I may understand, but even then it's more than usual," Felicity asked about his recent behaviour.

"I don't know who to trust Felicity. Recently, we've found evidence that Wells may be the one that killed my mother and now…" Barry trailed off.

"You're not sure who you can trust. What? You think Cisco and Caitlin may be in on it? That all this time, they've been deliberately leading you on?" Felicity questioned him.

"That's the thing. I don't know. I may have never gotten along with Caitlin, but the fact that I know Wells is The Man in Yellow is making me question everything. I don't know what's real or not? I mean, was Caitlin purposefully seducing me that night?" Barry mumbled to himself. He didn't realize he let that slip whilst Felicity was within hearing range.

"I'm sorry, seduce?" Felicity asked. "Did you and Caitlin…?"

"It was one night. We were drunk," Barry tried to make an excuse.

"A drunk man's actions are a sober man's thoughts," Felicity pointed out. "I can't believe this happened,"

"I know. I couldn't believe it either," Barry said.

"No, I mean I can't believe this happened so soon." Felicity said. "Come on Barry, we both knew this was going to happen sooner or later,"

"This was never supposed to happen, especially after we promised to never do anything like this the first time," Barry accidently let slip. When he realized what he said, he covered his mouth in embarrassment.

"The first time? This has happened before?" Felicity asked.

"It was just a kiss. And it was a spur of the moment thing. We thought we were gonna die," Barry explained himself.

"Let me see if I got this. You've kissed, you've had sex, yet neither of you are willing to admit there's something else going on? You two will have children together and still claim you hate each other," Felicity said.

"That almost could have happened," Barry mumbled to himself.

"Excuse me?" Felicity yelled.

Barry groaned. "Why do I keep saying these things?"

"Explain now," Felicity demanded. "Is Caitlin pregnant?"

"No," Barry shook his head dejectedly. "It was a few weeks ago. She told me she may be pregnant, but it turned out she wasn't," Barry decided to leave the time travel part out of the story. It was complicated enough without it.

"Barry," Felicity said with sadness in her tone. "I'm so sorry. Knowing you, you must have been so excited. I know you always wished you could have a big family considering everything you've been through,"

"I was," Barry said, a few tears gathering in his eyes. "Even if Caitlin was the mother, I was so happy that I was going to be a father. And even though I know it's not real, I keep thinking about if it was,"

"Barry, you are going to be an amazing father. You are one of the most selfless people I know. Your child is going to grow up with so much love in their life." Felicity comforted him.

"Wells said something similar actually." Barry took a deep breath to calm himself. "But you're right. I'm going to be a father someday, and I know I'll love them no matter what,"

The two of them stayed there for a while, Felicity offering her support in any way she could think of. Barry dwelling on what could have been for him if Caitlin did turn out to be pregnant. He would have done anything to make sure he was a part of that child's life, and let it know how much he loved them.

* * *

**So Felicity knows what's going on between those two. We get to see Barry in mourning about his lost child. A little sad, but they are now onto Wells being The Reverse Flash.**

**Hey we're almost done with the season. That was fast. The later chapters will probably be longer in length now that we're getting down to the climax of the season, and then we're on to season 2. I'm so excited for season 2. Share your thoughts about the chapter.**

**As always, stay safe everybody and I'll see you next week.**


	7. Pale Imitations

**Here we are, episode 18. Now that we are coming to the end of the season, expect the chapters to be about this length since everything is now about the attention to detail. Thanks to everyone who has shown their support for the story in anyway. Thanks to my co-authors Brightburn1985 and thomasmarieamell.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Arrowverse**

* * *

Felicity and Ray had gone home and Joe finally had approval for a quick vacation to Starling City. He brought Cisco along to help with anything science related.

They had recently revealed their suspicions about Wells being The Reverse Flash with the two scientists. They couldn't move forward with their investigation without their help. Caitlin was unwilling to take part in this, so that left Cisco to assist the detective with the car accident in Starling. That meant Barry and Caitlin were watching Wells.

Joe thought of this as an opportunity. He and Cisco would be able to get to the bottom of what was going on with Wells, and without Cisco playing mediator, Caitlin and Barry would be forced to resolve their own arguments. Hopefully the two wouldn't kill each other before they got back.

That night, Caitlin was walking up to the door of Wells' house. She needed some answers, and despite it all, she felt Wells was the only one she could trust at the moment. They each had a special relationship with the esteemed doctor. He was a good person despite his flaws. There had to be a logical explanation to all this.

Before she could even touch the door, she was whisked away in a flash of lightning.

When everything stopped, she took a look around her surroundings. There was Barry in front of her. "Are you stalking me now? What's Iris going to think?"

"She already thinks we're dating," Barry told her.

"What?!" Caitlin yelled.

"It doesn't matter. Cait, what were you doing at Wells' house?" Barry dismissed her concerns and went straight to the point.

"I was going to ask him some questions. Get some answers of my own," Caitlin told him.

"Caitlin, you can't talk to him about this. If he even suspects we may be on to him, we'll lose everything." Barry said.

"You think I don't know loss? That's why I went to him, because I can't lose anymore than I already have," Caitlin replied. "You are potentially ruining this man's entire life. Everyone's life,"

"Who else would this ruin?" Barry asked.

"Mine," Caitlin told him. "Those nine months you were in a coma were the worst of my life. I'd lost everything. My career, my fiance, my family, and I was stuck taking care of a patient I hated,"

Barry snorted at that remark. "I thought we got past the whole 'you-hated-me-for-no-reason'?"

"Don't push me Allen because I am this close to shooting an icicle at you, and that's just for kidnapping me," Caitlin gestured to the small space between her fingers.

"I did not kidnap you Snow, I prevented you from making a huge mistake," Barry defended himself.

"This feels like a kidnapping Fleet Feet," Caitlin said.

"Just get back to your sob story Ms. Frosty," Barry waved off her concerns of being kidnapped.

"The point is, if what you're saying is true, then all this time, since the moment I stepped into that building, has been a lie," Caitlin summarized what she was saying.

"Look, I know this is hard, but we just got to keep up appearances until Cisco and Joe get back. Do it for my dad, who's sitting in his cell for a crime he didn't commit,"

"I can't believe you would bring your dad into this. It's a dirty pool Barry. Wells saved your life countless times. I don't know how you could ever suspect him,"

"Is that a yes?" Barry asked to confirm.

"Only until Joe and Cisco come back, and not a second more," Caitlin confirmed her silence.

"Thank you," Barry said, picking her up and taking them both home.

* * *

Whilst Joe and Cisco were talking with the SCPD, Barry was taking care of a jewelry thief. Or at least, he was in possession of stolen diamonds.

The man was about to walk off into the crowd, but Barry stopped right behind him. "Hey!" Barry called out. "You have something that doesn't belong to you,"

"I believe you've mistaken me for someone else," the man responded.

The supposed thief brushed his hand along the shoulder of a teenage girl who was busy staring at her phone. The next second, his body seemed to disassemble itself before reforming into the spitting image of the teenage girl.

"What the…" Barry trailed off as he watched the supposed thief get away in a dumbstruck expression.

Barry moved to keep eyes on _it? _But by that point he'd already lost _it _in the crowd, and with _its _ability, _it_ could already have turned into someone else completely to avoid suspicion.

Barry was still slightly shocked, but he had enough mind to return to STAR Labs to tell the others about their new meta threat.

* * *

Caitlin was still giving Barry a hard time about suspecting Wells to be The Reverse Flash. She was certainly not silent in her thoughts about being forced to keep her silence.

"I don't like doing this," Caitlin said.

"Just until Joe and Cisco return with some evidence to determine if Wells is The Man in Yellow." Barry reminded her of her promise.

"_If_, Barry. _If_," Caitlin emphasizes that at this point, everything is just speculation and they didn't have any hard evidence that would point towards Wells being The Man in Yellow.

"What are we talking about here?" Dr. Wells wheeled in.

Startled, they both scrambled to provide an answer. Finally Caitlin comes up with a response saying, "We might have another metahuman case on our hands," she remembers their earlier conversation about Barry seeing their jewelry thief turn from a man to a girl.

"Ah," Wells exclaims. "Well, we're always here to help in any way Barry,"

"Thank you, Dr. Wells," Barry tries to show his appreciation, but it was restrained with his current feelings for the doctor.

"So, how about you tell us what we're dealing with here?" Wells asks Barry.

"I ran to respond a case of stolen diamonds, and when I confronted him, I saw a grown man _morph_ into a teenage girl," Barry informs him.

"Interesting, a shapeshifter," Wells mused, curiosity sparkling in his eyes. It unnerved Barry about the particular interest Wells was showing in this meta.

"Yeah, so how are we going to find someone who can literally become anyone?" Barry asked.

"Was there anything else you noticed, something that might help distinguish it from the original, or help figure out how their powers work?" Caitlin asked.

Barry thinks back to his brief encounter and notices something. "Before he turned into the girl, that same girl walked in front of him. He touched her shoulder, and then he transformed into her," Barry notes.

"So, based on that, we can infer that its abilities rely on contact with the original. The question is how long it is able to maintain each form, and whether it can imitate more than just appearances," Wells said.

"You think it can copy other meta abilities?" Caitlin suggested. That was bad if it could. That meant, theoretically, it could stockpile powers. It might be able to utilise multiple abilities at once.

"It's a theory," says Wells. "So until we know more, if you confront this meta again Barry…"

"I got it. Hands off the metahuman," Barry says.

"Hands off the metahuman," Dr. Wells confirms.

* * *

"What are we doing here, Eddie?" Barry asked as they walked into the interrogation room.

Eddie called him and wanted him to come with him to track down a lead. They had it on video of a woman working in a jewelry store taking the stolen diamonds that were later attempted to be pawned off by the new meta.

Of course, Eddie didn't know about the meta part.

The woman pleaded innocent, that whoever was on the video wasn't her. She had taken a personal day to spend with her husband, she wasn't anywhere near work.

The husband and store manager confirmed her story, but the rest of the workers all said she was there that day.

"What do you think, Allen? This seems to be one of your impossible cases." Eddied asked as they repeatedly check the footage of the robbery.

"I think she believes she didn't do it, despite all the evidence stacked against her," Barry said, knowing what was really going on here.

Barry looked into other similar cases. There was a streak of identity theft cases where several people all claimed to not committing the alleged crime, despite being on camera.

It was all traced back to a case one month after the particle accelerator explosion. A bank robber claimed that he was being framed by his partner, Hannibal Bates. And ever since then, Hannibal Bates has been missing. There wasn't even a picture to tell what he looked like.

Seeing as this was the first case, it was likely Bates was their meta.

Barry informed Eddie of the new information and he thought it was worth checking into. Eddie had recently accepted the fact that Central City was home to the strange after Barry had attacked him as The Flash in a meta-induced rage. Since then, he's been more open to the idea of the impossible.

Barry didn't want to feel guilty, but Eddie still hated The Flash a little for that. He even tried to create a task-force in order to capture The Flash. Luckily, he was shot down. But he still held some resentment towards the speedster.

It was a good thing Eddie didn't know Barry was The Flash.

There was no current address to Hannibal Bates, but he did have a next of kin. His grandmother.

Barry and Eddie drove up to the house where they could hopefully find some answers. Or maybe assist in a missing person's case. One or the other.

The grandma easily let them in to have a talk. While Eddie was interviewing her, Barry took a look around the house. There were several pictures of Hannibal as a child, but none were very recent. "Ma'am, do you have any recent photos of your grandson?" Barry called out to the living room.

When no reply came, Barry headed towards the living room. Eddie was knocked out and the grandma wasn't in sight. He heard the sound of a door opening from the direction of the kitchen.

Barry ran towards the door. Looking outside, he saw the figure of the grandmother change shape into something more familiar. Eddie! This was Bates. He was impersonating his grandma.

Since this was such a public area, Barry couldn't use his speed to capture him, and they still didn't know if he could use his powers if he touched him, so Barry was forced to keep his distance.

That proved to be terrible as when Barry was running at a normal pace, he saw the figure of Eddie shoot down two cops before firing one more at the car where the camera would be.

* * *

Eddie was apprehended.

There was nothing anybody could do. They had it on video of Eddie shooting two cops. Barry didn't manage to get to Bates fast enough, leaving Eddie to suffer the consequences.

The only way to prove Eddie's innocence was if they managed to get ahold of Bates and demonstrate his shapeshifting abilities.

Barry was in the West house, getting cleaned up while on the phone with Iris. She called him in concern about how she knew Eddie was innocent, and was relying on him to get Eddie released.

Barry was promising to do everything he possibly could to prove Eddie was innocent.

Someone was knocking on the door, and it was revealed to be Eddie. "Eddie, how is this possible?" Barry asked.

"Captain Singh called in a favour," Eddie briefly explained.

"I just got off the phone with Iris, how does she not know?" Barry quickly questioned. "Hold on, let me call her back,"

Barry turned around to get his phone out and redial Iris when he was punched on the back of his head.

Maybe Caitlin was right. He really couldn't do anything when he had his back to the enemy.

* * *

Bates had tied up Barry and placed duct tape on his mouth. He was still unconscious, so nobody would find him any time soon. By now, he'd already transformed to resemble this Bartholomew Henry Allen. He'd taken the guy's wallet.

Going down the stairs, he was about to take his leave out in his new skin. Suddenly, the door burst open. Out came a pretty brunette woman. He had no idea who she was, but she was obviously well acquainted with Allen to just barge into his house whenever she wanted.

"Hey, answer your phone, I've been calling you," the lady said.

Taking out the phone he had also swiped, he saw the notification of several missed calls. "I'm sorry about that," he awkwardly replied.

"One would think you'd be more attentive, I mean, what if I had an emergency Barry?" she questioned him.

So this person went by Barry. It was better than Bartholomew. "Did you?" he asked.

"That's beside the point Fleet Feet, I need to talk to you about something," the woman told him. He really needed to learn her name.

"What is it?" he asked.

"What if I create a serum that would be able to revert our new meta's cells back to their original state? Therefore, making him powerless?" she suggested.

It didn't take a genius to tell that she was talking about him. Who were these people? Secret government agents that were tasked with hunting down people like him? He already knew one of them worked for the police.

Still, it was worrying that she may be able to take away his powers. "You can do that?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," she responded.

That clinched it. He had to go with her, learn as much as he could in order to prevent his own capture. Plus, this lady talked about taking away someone's powers like it was nothing. He didn't even know if it would be permanent or temporary. He couldn't risk it.

"Anyway, I came to pick you up when you wouldn't answer my calls. I'm almost done and you can take it as soon as we find where this Everyman is," she said.

"Everyman?" he asked, entertaining the idea of a name for himself.

"Not good? Cisco's not here and I figured that someone needed to do it," she said.

"No," he denied. He dismissed the thought of asking who this Cisco was, he apparently wasn't a problem if he was gone. "No, I kinda like it,"

"You're agreeing with me? Are you okay?" she questioned him.

What was the relationship between these two? With the way she was acting, he figured these two were close people and knew each other intimately. But the way she was talking made it seem like the two didn't like each other at all. It was frustrating!

"Ye-yeah of course I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" He replied, a hint of stuttering in his statement, not wanting this woman to know who he is.

"I don't know, but you're acting weird," she said. "Come on, let's go,"

She headed out the door, and Bates let out a breath of relief. She suspected him, but she didn't know. He'd have to try to start acting like this person, or he'd blow his cover.

Internally, he went over everything he'd learned from this short interaction. This woman came into the guy's house as if she did it all the time. She called him several times about work and came to see him when he wouldn't answer. She didn't say it, but he could tell she was worried about this person. She had a nickname for him, they worked together to the point of friendship, but with what she said, it seemed they argued all the time.

What, were they married?

* * *

When they arrived at the woman's workplace, he noticed that it was STAR Labs, not some secret government agency. They entered the labs and Hannibal was awestruck by all of the technology that STAR Labs has, which didn't go unnoticed by Caitlin.

"Come here, Barry. We can't waste anymore time, he's still on the loose." They made their way to a small part of the lab, so small that they are currently body pressing to each other.

"What are you doing?" Caitlin asked.

"I'm trying to get a good look at what you're doing," he replied.

"Well, you can do it just fine, way over there, out of my personal space," she shoved him away from her and out the door. The walls were still see-through, so he could see what she was doing just fine.

"So this serum," Bates said. "Will it take away their powers permanently or…"

"No, not permanently. Just enough time for us to bring them in." Caitlin answered, still looking down on the microscope.

"Will it hurt this person?" Bates asked. He wanted to know what he could be going through.

"Just a sting, once the serum kicks in it will stop. When did you ever care to the metahumans, anyways?" Caitlin asked, now looking at Hannibal through the glass.

"Well, I've just been so focused on stopping these metahumans, that I haven't really had the time to make sure they are okay," he replied. Did this Barry person not really care about these other metahumans?

"That's…" Caitlin trailed off as she thought to herself, "actually pretty sweet. Let me just get an equipment in the storage room, be right back." Caitlin walked away, leaving Bates to himself.

As soon as she was gone, Bates relaxed his shoulders. He hasn't had to maintain one form for this long since he first discovered his powers. It was exhausting. Still, he had to keep this appearance until he could figure out a way to get rid of that serum. She took it with her to the storage room. He needed a way to distract her.

He followed her way to the storage room, only for them to collide in the corridor of the labs, the serum splashed everywhere. She glared at him as if he had just kicked a puppy.

Bates looked at it in glee. But he didn't let it show on his face. Who knew how long it would take to make another? He was safe, at least in the meantime.

"You irresponsible, clumsy, jerk! What do you think you're doing?" Caitlin yelled at him.

"I'm sorry but I need to do something I should have done a long time ago." Hannibal pressed his lips against Caitlin's, he felt her body turn stiff at the gesture. She tried to pull away but he chased her lips, not wanting her to make another serum just yet.

What he didn't expect was for her to slap him across the face. The sting on the side of his face was burning and he was sure there was already a mark.

He resisted the urge to disassemble his body into a new form to heal the injury. He had discovered when he would turn into another body, all his physical wounds would disappear. There was still pain, and it wouldn't work for diseases, but it was better than nothing. He couldn't let her know, even if he probably already blew his cover by kissing her. He is completely reading their signals wrong. He thinks they're in love, but it turns out it isn't romance. What is their relationship?!

"Who the hell are you?!" Caitlin screamed. There was a chill in the air. Her eyes glowed white and her hair bleached in an instant. Her skin turned more pale than it already was and even her lips weren't spared from her transformation. They were tinted blue as if someone applied a healthy coating of blue lipstick in the moments when he blinked.

Mist was forming from her hands. In all honesty, he'd never come face to face with another metahuman, and if he had, he never realized it, so this was a new experience for him.

He was so shocked due to her transformation, he was just standing there, staring at her, not reacting when the mist started turning into ice that was being launched directly into his chest. He didn't react when she created daggers of ice from her hands, raised her foot to pin him to the ground and place the ice daggers against his throat.

Instead, he just passed out. Whether from the shock or the cold, he can't tell. But there was one regret he had.

He never got her name.

* * *

Iris West!

Right now, the name of Barry's best friend and foster sister made her annoyed. If it wasn't for her desperation of freeing her boyfriend, Eddie, she wouldn't have convinced them to bring the unconscious body of Hannibal Bates to CCPD in order to convince the DA of Eddie's innocence.

No, when he was knocked out, she could have put him in the Pipeline where he wouldn't be able to steal anyone else's identity ever again.

If they never brought Bates out of STAR, he wouldn't have escaped and then she wouldn't have to create another copy of the serum that was currently all over the floor. It was a good thing that she already had the recipe on her computer, but the process of making it was so tiresome and delicate.

There was a silver lining if you wanted to see it, but they had a sample of Bates' blood from when she scratched his throat with her ice daggers.

She didn't know why the sight of someone else using Barry's body bothered her so much. Maybe it had something to do with the fact he kissed her.

Who did he think he was? He thought he was Barry, but what would make him think they were romantically involved? Was there something she was doing out of the ordinary that would insinuate that there was romance in their relationship?

Let's see, she went into his house with the key Barry gave her, talked about work, lightly insulted him with the nickname she came up for him.

She probably should have realized something was up when he didn't reply with a 'Ms. Frosty'.

She certainly showed her surprise when Barry actually agreed with something she came up with. That should have told him they argued consistently.

She drove them both to STAR Labs, where he then watched her work. She now realizes he was checking to see how she was making the serum to disable his powers. That was probably why he came along with her.

She pushed him out of her lab, went to obtain some equipment she needed, and the next thing she knew, he was knocking himself into her and kissing her, which she promptly slapped him for.

Nothing she did should have indicated anything beyond friendship. They were barely friends as it is. What would make this complete stranger think there was anything more between them?

She didn't have time to think of it, as she rushed back to the West House in search of Barry. If Bates was in the house, that had to mean Barry let him in when he didn't know who he was. Barry was probably still in the house considering Bates was still there when she got there.

Caitlin soon found him in a closet with tape on his mouth and rope on his hands and legs.

Not hesitating, she slapped him as hard as she could. Barry woke up and screamed into the tape which she promptly ripped off. Another scream of pain erupted from Barry, but this one could be heard clearly.

"For real? Why did you slap me?" Barry whined.

"You were unconscious, plus it was fun," Caitlin answered him.

"You couldn't just have me smell salt?" Barry asked.

"Then I wouldn't be able to slap you," Caitlin said. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," Barry said. "Wait Caitlin, Bates, he was here,"

"Yes I know," Caitlin told him. "He kissed me, as you,"

Barry paused in confusion. He seemed to be considering what she told him. "Why?" he asked slowly.

"Hell if I know," Caitlin revealed.

"Come on, help get these off and then we can head out of here," Barry asked for her assistance.

* * *

When they made it to STAR Labs, Dr. Wells pulled up an image of a group of cells on the monitor.

"While we weren't able to restrain Bates, we were able to obtain a sample of his blood, courtesy of Dr. Snow," Dr. Wells said. "It revealed a few questions we had. First is that his ability makes it so he can _appear_ as anyone he touches,"

"So, hands on the metahuman?" Barry asked just to clarify.

"Hands on the metahuman," Wells confirmed.

"Nice work, Caitlin." Barry complimented, placing a hand on her shoulder. He didn't know where all of the sweetness towards Caitlin is coming from.

Caitlin immediately shrugged off his hand and took a step away from him. "Yeah, no need for a pat on the back or a hug or anything like that,"

"Did Bates harass you?" Barry questioned, genuinely worried for her.

"He just kissed me to try to distract me from my work," Caitlin reminded him.

"Good, what do you say we get back at him for kissing you?" Barry asked with a mischievous smirk

"I have just the thing," Caitlin walked into her lab.

"Caitlin managed to create a serum that would temporarily disable Bates' ability to shapeshift. There were a few complications when Bates was here, but Caitlin was able to complete it in no time," Wells explained to him.

"Well, do we have a location for our… Everyman, you say?"

"We managed to pin the location of the phone he swiped from you. GPS places him at the airport," Caitlin tells him.

"He's trying to leave the country," Barry realized as he grabbed the serum from Caitlin and sped off to the airport with his suit on.

* * *

When Barry got to the airport, he had a bag that carried his suit and put on a hat to try to conceal his identity from Bates if he were to see him. It was most likely Bates would see him before Barry even realized it was him.

"Cait, can you track the specific spot where Bates is? The airport is packed."

"The GPS puts him in the airport, that's the only lead we have," Wells tells.

"Yeah, but guys, he could be any one of these people," Barry looked around at the sheer amount of people in the airport. "I'm not seeing him,"

"Look for anyone suspicious, like someone that doesn't belong there." Caitlin advised.

Barry turned to look at anything he could. Something caught his eye though. An elderly woman was in a metal detector. The image on the x-ray showed her body, but it seemed to glitch for a second to show another body before correcting itself.

Barry kept his eyes on the woman closely. It was the only thing that could indicate towards the meta. The woman approached a security officer and lightly tapped his shoulder. She then immediately became the man, clothes and all, and ran away before he could be spotted.

"Got him," Barry mumbled, both to himself and his team at STAR Labs.

He immediately followed Bates into a room but he was not the security guard anymore. He was using Iris' body.

"Hannibal Bates!" Barry shouted.

"Hey sweetie, do you need something?" Bates asked.

"You're coming with me," Barry said. He approached her and tried to restrain him peacefully.

But that was what Bates was waiting for. He raised his hand and revealed a can of pepper spray. He spritzed his eyes which immediately started burning.

When Barry was distracted with the pain that immediately healed itself with his increased healing, Bates sweeped him in the leg, causing him to fall to the ground.

Barry let a bit of his aggression towards Iris for somewhat abandoning him as his best friend in favour of being a girlfriend to Eddie. He didn't blame her for that, but it still hurt him when it seemed that Iris wasn't making as much time for him as she used to.

He punched Bates in the throat.

Bates stumbled back and transformed into the body of Eddie, still clutching his throat, but he removed it, seeming fine.

"Not very hero like. Treat all your women like that?" Bates asked him.

It was weird seeing his friends as enemies, but he didn't let it deter him.

"Barry, what is taking so long?" Caitlin questioned him. "His ability is shapeshifting, he has no combat abilities he can use against you,"

"It's not easy hitting the face of my friends, he knows how to manipulate his opponents," Barry said.

"Whoever you are looking at, forget about it, he's not them, just get him!" Caitlin yelled at him.

Barry charged at Bates once more but had to pause at the new form he took. It was Caitlin.

"Please don't hurt me." He begged.

It took Barry too long to realize the person in front of him wasn't Caitlin, because the moment he did, Bates had punched him. Barry realized it when Bates punched with Caitlin's hand, because he had mock battles with Caitlin all the time, so he knew exactly how her punches felt. This was not it.

"What's taking so long, Fleet Feet?! You literally have super-speed!" Caitlin yelled through the comms.

"Be quiet Ms. Frosty, I'm working on it," Barry replied.

Somehow, hearing Barry say his nickname for her made her somewhat happy. She doesn't know why but it did.

Barry charged at the form of Caitlin and punched him in his midsection. He'd dueled against Caitlin to know every one of her weaknesses and which points to hit. He wasn't sure if it held true with Bates, but it was worth a shot. If nothing else, it was easier to hit him now.

Barry slammed him against the wall, and Bates transformed once again. It was him in his Flash suit.

"Look at that, I'm the Flash," Bates smirked with his face.

"Uh oh, guys…" Barry called out to his team back at STAR Labs, "He transformed into me."

"Well don't let him go now, we can't let him reveal the Flash's identity," Caitlin said.

Barry ran over to Bates as he punched him in the face many times, each punch he transformed into someone new. Eventually, when Bates was in a daze, he used the serum that Caitlin made and knocked him out cold.

"Barry? Barry come in," Wells demanded. "Are you there Barry?"

"The one and only." Barry replied, still slightly panting from their fight.

* * *

At the precinct, Barry showed security footage of his fight with Bates to the DA. In it, The Flash was fighting against someone who transformed into multiple people, one of which was Eddie Thawne.

"This… this is impossible. The court will have no other choice but to drop the charges with this kind of evidence." Cecile Horton said, the DA of Central City.

"Impossible is just another Tuesday for us in Central City." Barry lightly joked at the fact that Central City defied the laws of science on a daily basis.

"And that is why we are lucky that The Flash is there to save us from these kinds of criminals." Iris interjected, hugging the life out of Eddie.

"With that, I think our business here is concluded," Cecile said. Taking all her papers and a copy of the footage and left the room. "You know, I saw the Flash once. It was just a brief second and he rushed past me on the street, but it was pretty cool." she revealed.

* * *

"Let me out of here!" Bates yelled, now in the form of Iris.

Nobody reacted. They were all getting used to the idea of someone else being able to wear their faces.

Changing tactics, Bates turned into Caitlin. "Hey Fleet Feet," he addressed towards Barry. "Wanna let me out of here?"

It felt wrong to hear Caitlin say that nickname towards him in a flirtatious sense. It felt wrong to have Caitlin flirting with him at all. Bates clearly didn't understand their relationship with each other if he was flirting with him.

Barry looked at Caitlin and shared a chuckle with her. Bates may be able to look like them, but his acting skills needed some work.

"I've seen a lot of what you are capable of, but who are you, Hannibal Bates?" Dr. Wells wheeled himself up to the glass cage.

A tense moment passes, and then Bates once more turns his body to clay before reforming into… something.

The man before them bears no distinguishable marks. No hair, no skin colour. There are no eyes. Even his clothes are just a shade of white. He almost seems like a fetus that aged too rapidly.

He chuckles. "I uh… I don't remember,"

Caitlin looks slightly concerned. How could you not remember what you look like? Not even your eye colour? Caitlin's not even sure if the voice is his as well.

It suddenly seems as if Bates realizes the meaning of his words. "I don't remember," he says in disbelief.

"Well then, I think it's time to lock up shop," Wells decides to end this slight revelation. "Good work everyone,"

They close the accelerator, and Dr. Wells wheels away. Caitlin and Barry stay behind.

"What about Dr. Wells?" Caitlin asks.

That reminds Barry that Cisco and Joe had recently returned from Starling City, with something that could help break their case.

"Come here," Barry offers his hand toward her's, which she takes.

Barry and Caitlin entered the room Joe and Cisco indicated in their text to see the two men hovering over a decayed body.

"Who is this?" Caitlin asked.

"See for yourself," Joe answers by handing over the autopsy report.

Caitlin thumbs through the file, quickly scanning for the answer she was looking for. When she found it, her face showed a variety of emotions at once. Confusion, anger, fear, disbelief. "This is impossible," she whispered.

"Caitlin, I ran through the DNA tests, dental records, everything three times. They all say the same thing," Cisco assures her what she's seeing is true.

"This is the body of the real Harrison Wells," Joe voices it outloud.

"But if this is Harrison Wells," Caitlin gestures to the decayed body. "Who have we been working with this whole time?"

Barry remembers something that was said to him a few weeks ago by Tina McGee. "Dr. McGee once told him that after the accident, Wells seemed like a completely different person." Barry pauses for a second for the rest to let the information sink in. "That's because he is,"

* * *

**The big reveal. The real Wells has been found and identified. I tried to add in some humour this time since last chapter was a little sad. As you can see, Caitlin is pretty pissed when someone tries taking away her Barry. They just have a deep understanding of each other that no one else can hope to have.**

**Hope everyone is enjoying their time in quarantine and staying safe. I know I am.**

**As always, message me about anything you want, leave a review. Tell me what you thought and I will see you all next week.**


	8. I Marry That?

**Another week, another chapter. Sorry this one is a little later than others, but we're here. Thanks to my co-authors Brightburn1985 and thomasmarieamell, who has now changed his name to Bartholomew Henry Allen.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from The Arrowverse**

* * *

Cisco has been like staring off into space lately, everybody just wrote it off as shock to Wells' secret. However, Cisco is feeling like he is living in an alternate universe, he always feels like he is in a dream. He sometimes dream about Harrison Wells, or whoever he is, vibrating his hand through him, killing him.

After Cisco remained completely for a few seconds, the others were beginning to get concerned for him. "Cisco?" Barry asked tentatively. "Hey, you alright bud?"

Cisco's eyes refocused from whatever he was seeing. "Yeah, I'm just getting a headache or something," he dismisses their concern.

Cisco had to be having a psychotic break. Why else would he be reliving memories of himself dying? The vibrating hand from Wells made some sense since it turned out he may be the Reverse Flash, but he just learned of this. He shouldn't be having memories of being killed.

Yeah, it was just stress and dreams of fearing Wells was the Reverse Flash. Then again, he was awake, and he'd been getting this dream for about a month now.

He just needed to get his mind off it. And he had just the idea of how to do it.

* * *

Sitting in front of the computer in the Cortex, Cisco was looking at the blueprints of the entire building, maybe there was something hidden in a wall or anything of the like.

Caitlin and Barry walked in seeing their friend heavily focused on the screen in front of him. "Hey Cisco, what are you doing?" Caitlin asked.

"Looking at the schematics of the building, seeing if Wells had anything hidden or something that may indicate what he's been doing," Cisco replied.

"You haven't done this before?" Barry questioned, thinking it would have been instrumental after the accelerator exploded.

"I never had any reason to look beyond the Pipeline or the Cortex. Plus, it's a big building, lots of places for Wells to hide something," Cisco defends himself.

Suddenly, an alert sounded and a room was highlighted in the blueprints.

"What's that?" Caitlin gestured to the highlighted room.

"That shouldn't be there," Cisco answers, just as confused as that room shouldn't exist. There should be nothing but a hallway there.

Intrigued, the trio make their way to the indicated hallway where the room that shouldn't exist lied.

Making it to the hallway, Cisco takes out the tablet he brought with him that contained the blueprints of the building. Checking once more to make sure they were in the right area, he gestures to the wall in front of them. "Okay, it should be right here,"

Barry lightly touches the wall, seeing if there was anything that could somehow reveal the supposes room. When his hand left the tile to the next, the area where his hand touched lit up blue and the tile made way to reveal the dark room.

Cautiously, the three of them made their way into the unexplainable room. As soon as all three of them entered the room, the lights turned on to show another mannequin that was wearing a yellow suit instead of the usual red they were used to seeing.

The Man in Yellow.

"Oh my god," Caitlin mumbled. Until now, she still held onto some hope that Dr. Wells wasn't involved with the Reverse Flash. But here was the suit of the man that killed Barry's mother. There was no denying it now.

Barry turned to look away from the suit. It was still too painful, even after 11 years. When he did, he noticed a podium and above it was a hologram. Of a newspaper. With The Flash on the front cover.

"Guys, look at this," Barry pulls the attention of the two scientists behind him to look at what he discovered.

They turn to see the large, floating newspaper with their friend on it along with the headline, 'Flash Missing! Vanishes in Crisis!'

"Holy frack," Cisco mumbled.

Barry quickly reads over the contents of the newspaper to see what happens that would cause him to disappear. "After an epic street battle with The Reverse Flash, our city's Scarlet Speedster vanishes in a burst of light." Barry says in disbelief.

"Barry, look at the date," Caitlin says, reading a part he didn't.

"April 25, 2024." Barry reads. With the reveal of the future date, Barry remembers something The Reverse Flash mentioned when he confronted him during Christmas. "Guys, when I fought The Reverse Flash during Christmas he said we would be fighting for centuries,"

It didn't make sense to him at the time. It didn't even come to mind when he first traveled through time, but now it was starting to make sense. The ability to continue a fight across centuries without living through it all.

"Wait a minute," Caitlin says. "You can't actually believe this is from the… future, do you?"

"If that's true, then that means… Dr. Wells, or whoever he is, is also from-" Cisco starts to say.

"From the future." Barry cuts him off.

"I got to say, I'm really digging the brighter red suit, and the white on the symbol? That's dope," Cisco comments on the design of the new suit in the picture.

"Wait a minute," Cisco pauses as he thinks of something. "Suppose we now change the colour on your emblem. Will it be because we got the idea from this? Then that would mean we're living in a causal nexus…" Cisco trails off, lost in thought of the implications of the timeline now that even such a small part of the future was revealed.

"Wow, this is trippy. Like, Marty and the polaroids trippy." Cisco exclaims.

"Even more so than finding out Dr. Wells is from the future?" Caitlin questioned him.

"Oh, yeah. That. We finally figured out who the Reverse Flash is. Mazel tov!" Cisco exclaimed in a small celebration of learning one mystery in the vast well of things they've yet to explain.

"Hebrew. Ancient language of the Jews," a voice sounded in the room. The three of them aback at the new voice.

"Uh-uh!" Cisco yells, staring at the ceiling as if someone were going to drop on them in an instant. "Who was that?"

"Is someone here?" Barry asks. "Hello?"

The newspaper disappeared and in its place, a pixelated blue head of a woman appeared above the podium. "Good evening Barry Allen."

Startled, and a little nervous, Barry stutters in his introduction to the floating head. "H-hi. Y-you know who I am?"

"Of course. Barry Allen. Director of CCPD. CSI Division." it responds by listing some facts about the man.

"Director?" Barry questions the information. But this is apparently information from 10 years in the future.

"Guess you get a promotion." Cisco says.

"Husband to Caitlin Snow-Allen. Also known as The Flash. Founding member of the Justi-" it was saying before being interrupted.

"Hold on right there," Caitlin cuts off the intelligence. "Husband? To Caitlin Snow?" she asks, horrified.

"Snow-Allen," it lightly corrects her.

"You're telling me, I marry that?" Caitlin gestures to Barry, not even looking at him.

"Yes, Caitlin Snow-Allen. Leading bioengineer of STAR Facilities. Wife of Barry Allen. Also known as Killer Frost. Mother of-." it lists information on Caitlin in the future before being cut off again.

"Okay, we should stop asking questions about our future. I mean, who knows what's happening to the timeline just by us learning this." Cisco tries to get her away from the head. After so long, he's developed a sense of when a fight is about to break out between his friends.

"For once, I agree with Caitlin. We need to do all we can so I can prevent being married to that witch," Barry glares at Caitlin.

"And I can't be stuck getting engaged to a demon." Caitlin glares back.

"Shouldn't we be focusing on Dr. Wells and whatever the hell this thing is?" Cisco tries to bring their focus back to the important matter at hand.

"Fine," they both agree, but a silent agreement that this conversation is nowhere near finished.

"What are you?" Barry asks the head again.

"I am Gideon. An interactive artificial intelligence," Gideon responds.

"AI," Cisco whispers in disbelief. "Sick,"

"You know Dr. Wells?" Barry asks again.

"Yes," Gideon answers them again.

When she didn't go on to explain further, they all shrugged to each other. Guess they needed to be more clear in what they were asking.

"Do you know who he really is?" Barry tries to make sure he was better understood this time.

"I don't understand the question." Gideon lightly shakes her head at the question that she had no idea how she was supposed to answer.

"I-I mean, what is he doing here?" Barry words his question differently.

Gideon's head shrinks and she creates a body to make it seem more like they're talking to a person. "To kill you," Gideon answers.

Barry reels in shock. Never would he have guessed that. Wells may have killed his mother, but with all the things Wells has done to keep him alive made it seem impossible he came here to kill him in the end.

Wells saved him from his coma. Helped him learn his powers as well as save countless innocent lives. Why would he do all that if he were going to kill him?

While Barry is still processing the information, Cisco's phone sounds an alert. "Wells is in the building," he tells them.

"What? How do you know that?" Caitlin asks, looking at his phone.

"I put a tracer on his chair, which if we're wrong and he is paralyzed, I'm going to hell for that one," Cisco worries slightly, but not too much since Wells is apparently The Reverse Flash. An injury that would have left him crippled would heal in a matter of days since he was a speedster.

Cisco looks at his phone again to see where Wells currently is. "He's heading this way. Ask questions fast." Cisco warns them.

Barry turned back to Gideon. She seemed to be willing to give him all the answers he wanted, and they didn't have time to risk she wouldn't answer to Caitlin or Cisco.

"Why did he kill Nora Allen?" Barry asks.

"Because he was angry." she answered. Wells killed his mother because he was angry? Hearing the pitiful reason made Barry angry. His mother's death was a result of a temper tantrum.

"About what?" he continues to ask.

"That you escaped." Gideon said.

He escaped? Was she talking about when he was whisked away twenty blocks from the house? He spent the rest of the night running back home, constantly worried about what was going on. It was one of the main reasons the police officers didn't believe him about the man in the lightning. They didn't know what he was doing outside, but he couldn't have known what was going on when he was twenty blocks from the crime scene.

"He's on Level B," Cisco says.

"What does he want from me?" Barry asks once again.

"For you to be The Flash." Gideon answers in such a calm manner, if she weren't a computer program, it would be worrying.

"W-Why?" Barry asked, "Why is being The Flash important to him? Why help me become faster?" He asked, getting angry as he was not getting the answers he wanted to hear.

"Because he's stu-" Gideon was interrupted by Cisco.

"Guys, Wells is in the Cortex. We should get out of here while we still can."

"But what about the AI? What if she-it tells Dr. Wells that we were here? We can't have that happening now, can we?" Caitlin asked, not wanting their investigation to blow up.

"If I can get into its operating system, I could access its memory core," Cisco comes up with the idea to make Gideon forget they were ever there.

"Gideon, could you show us your operating system?" Barry asks pleadingly.

"Of course," Gideon agrees before a panel in the wall behind her opens to reveal… something.

Cisco takes one look and laughs without humour. "Yeah. That's not gonna happen." he makes it clear he has no idea where to even start with that.

"Guys, what are we going to do?" Caitlin asks, looking around as if searching for an answer.

"Gideon can you just like, not tell Wells that we were here?" Barry took a shot. It was most likely the only thing they could hope for.

"Of course. I will accept any command given to me by you," Gideon immediately agrees.

Gideon's words would just have to be good enough because they were out of time. "Alright, come on. We have to go!" Cisco urges them all out the door.

Before they do, something comes to Barry's mind and he just has to ask. "Wait! Why? Would you accept my commands?" Barry questions Gideon.

"Because, you created me," Gideon reveals before disappearing entirely.

Barry reels in shock. He knew he was smart, but to think he would one day go on to invent a working artificial intelligence. One they could have casual conversations with and be provided answers as if they were searching on Google.

He would have liked to stay in the room and continue to question the AI for information. There were so many questions he didn't know where to start. But with Wells on the way they didn't have the time for that. Barry grabbed his two friends and dashed out of there. The door closed behind them and the lights turned off.

They needed to have a conversation about what they just learned.

* * *

The STAR Labs trio made their way to the West House where they could hopefully talk about everything they had learned. They had invited Joe and Eddie to attend as well. They had recently revealed to Eddie that Barry was The Flash as having another police officer in the know and assisting them in their investigation would be a boon to their operations.

"So, run that by me one more time," Joe said after the three scientists relayed what had just happened to them a few hours ago. "What did you find in that…" he trailed off, not sure what he should be calling that room.

"Time Vault," Cisco supplied.

"We found an AI that was created by me in the future, it said some facts about me like I'm gonna be the Director of the CCPD and apparently I'm gonna marry Ms. Frosty over there." Barry explained with an eye roll as he got to the part where he will marry Caitlin in the future.

"Like it's easy for me to learn that I'm your wife in the future Fleet Feet," Caitlin sassed him. "I'm very much debating that I've suffered from a psychotic break to even consider being your spouse,"

"A psychotic break?" Barry asks incredulously. "We both must be mentally deranged to agree to spend the rest of our lives together,"

"Guys, I think we're focusing on the wrong details at the moment," Cisco interrupts their little feud. "Wells is The Reverse Flash? Shouldn't we be talking about that?"

"Right, you found out what? That Wells is from the future?" Joe asked to clarify things again. After all the things that have happened since the accelerator, he didn't think things could get any crazier.

"Essentially yes," Barry confirms.

"Okay, I know that we've seen a lot of things this past year that can't exactly be explained, but time travel? Really?" Eddie voices his doubts.

"I did it," Barry speaks up.

When everyone turns to face him with confusion, Barry lightly tries to defend himself. "I mean I will do it," he comes up on the spot.

"What?" Joe asks, still just as confused.

Cisco however immediately remembers what Barry's talking about. "Remember the blood we found in Barry's old house? There were two. One wasn't recognized, but the other belonged to an adult Barry Allen. Meaning someday in the future, Barry will travel back in time to that moment."

"Okay," Eddie says. He was still sceptical about all this, but after a point, you sort of just give up on thinking things from a rational point of view.

"I wasn't actually talking about that," Barry decides to be honest. "I may have actually time travelled already," he reveals.

"What are you talking about?" Caitlin asks.

"Okay, so I was running because I was trying to stop a tsunami from destroying the city…" Barry was explaining the circumstances of him travelling through time.

"When was this?" Caitlin asked, because she was fairly certain she would remember a tsunami.

"A couple of weeks ago," Barry tells them. "Right before you started getting those dreams." he addresses Cisco.

Cisco had told them he had been suffering from a recurring nightmare. One where he was killed by a vibrating fist courtesy of Dr. Wells. At first he chalked that up to being forced to look into Wells because of Joe, but he started to get really concerned when he was experiencing this dreaming when he was wide awake.

"Oh, you mean the one where Dr. Wells crushes my heart with a vibrating fist? That one?" Cisco asked, sarcastically.

"Yes, but what if they're not dreams?" Barry suggests.

"Then what are they?" Joe asks him.

"Memories," Barry says. "What if before I ran back in time, Cisco found out the truth about Dr. Wells and killed him. But when I ran back in time, it erased all that and the things I did changed the timeline, so that event never happened?"

"But if it never happened how can Cisco remember?" Joe points out the flaw in his idea.

"I don't know," Barry relents. "I don't know, but I think what matters is that he does. Cisco may be the key to finding out the truth of Dr. Wells,"

* * *

Somehow, they needed to get Cisco to access his dream and communicate with them at the same time. Whenever he saw it, he was paralyzed by watching the events unfold and it acted as a dream, where he would slowly forget what happened as time passed.

The big takeaway was Wells was The Reverse Flash and he kills Cisco. They needed to learn what led up to it to either avoid it or recreate it to get Wells admit he killed Barry's mother.

They were currently in STAR Labs tinkering with a pair of glasses. "So, what am I looking at?" Barry asked.

"I've designed these goggles to be able to allow a person to interact with the world while they are asleep by sending electrical surges to activate both parts of their brain whether they are awake or asleep. I just need to figure out the electrical output so I don't damage the patient by frying their brain." Caitlin says. "Want to test it out Barry? I need a guinea pig,"

"Stop treating me like a lab rat. I am not going to be a dummy test for every dangerous experiment we're conducting," Barry says.

"But you're perfect for the job. With your increased healing, you can get back up in a matter of moments and test it again," Caitlin points out.

"No, I'm not testing another creation of yours. Not after last time," Barry rejects her offer. He could still taste the smoke.

They managed to complete a prototype of the device with some unknowing help from Dr. Wells. They took the device to CCPD as they couldn't risk Dr. Wells coming in while they were in session. They couldn't let him know they knew he was The Reverse Flash. They had the element of surprise and that was their greatest weapon at the moment.

Cisco was nervous about testing these out. But unlike Barry, he didn't have the option of not testing it out. But still, this was untested territory. They had no idea what would happen if he put them on or if they would even work. But they were fairly certain he wouldn't die just because he did in the dream.

"Just relax. The goggles are emitting a sound wave that should put you to sleep easier," Caitlin advises Cisco as he puts on the goggles and lies down on a table.

"Okay, but I should warn you. I don't fall asleep easily. I mean, I'm not an insomniac but…" Cisco trails off. His voice shows his drowsiness before he finally succumbs to the power of the goggles and falls asleep.

"Oh, so that's how you get him to shut up." Joe said with a chuckle.

Caitlin was staring at a computer screen excitedly. "It's working. He's entering REM," she announced.

Barry took a glance at the screen to confirm her claim before turning back to Cisco. "Cisco, can you hear me? You're dreaming bud,"

"Woah, this is so freaky. I mean, I know this is all a dream, but it feels so real," Cisco says to them. The goggles work!

"What is 'dream you' doing?" Barry asks.

"Caitlin just left. I asked her to distract Wells for the morning." Cisco informs them.

"Why do you want Wells out of the labs?" Barry asks.

"I think he might have tampered with my work. I need to go check," Cisco says. They were all reminded of when the force field Cisco created failed to contain The Reverse Flash during Christmas and ended up beating Wells to an inch of his life. That had to be what he was talking about.

"Okay. Okay, I'm walking down the hallway towards where we trapped The Reverse Flash during Christmas." Cisco tells them of another transition in his dream. "Oh man, I love this shirt. I thought the dryer ate it," he added his comments. The dream temporarily took over him for the time.

"Stay focused Cisco," Barry lightly scolds him for straying from their original plan.

"I'm looking over the information. This data, it doesn't make any sense. The supercapacitors were all still fully charged. There's absolutely no reason The Reverse Flash should have escaped." Cisco says in frustration.

They all wait to hear what happens next. Obviously he finds out something incriminating about Wells to warrant being killed.

"Oh my god!" Cisco suddenly exclaims. "It was a hologram! He tricked us!"

The Reverse Flash they confronted was actually a hologram with a pre-recorded message? It would make sense why he only addressed Wells. He was the only one he could confirm would stay on script.

If he could program a hologram into the force field without anyone noticing, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that he could create a brief glitch in the system to provide enough time to allow him into the force field where he could then proceed to beat himself. There was still the question of how he hit himself when they could see they were in different places at once.

Another question for another day.

"Wells is here," Cisco informs them. "Eobard Thawne," he corrects himself after a moment.

"Thawne? Like Eddie Thawne?" Joe questions the similarity of his partner's last name with this madman.

"He's admitting to everything. He killed your mother Barry. He's confessing." Cisco reveals. After a moment he adds, "It _was_ you Barry. He was there to kill you that night,"

Barry's knees buckle at the revelation. For his entire adult life, he blamed himself for his mother's death and father's incarceration. He'd always had it in the back of his mind that he was a child and couldn't have done anything at the time. But now that it was known that he was the intended target that night and his parents got caught in the crossfire. It really was all his fault.

"His hand. It's vibrating," Cisco says fearfully.

The monitors begin to sound rapidly. Energy levels were increasing to dangerous levels. "Oh my god. He's going into shock," Caitlin reports. Her best friend's life might very well be on the line here.

"Cisco, listen to me. Wells can't do anything, you're going to be fine." Barry tries to soothe Cisco to bring his energy levels back to normal.

"Well you better be right about that because he's about to kill me!" Cisco yells.

"Guys, if we don't get him out of there soon he's going to have a stroke," Caitlin warns them worriedly.

"Get me out of here!" Cisco yells in panic.

They couldn't actually do anything. These goggles were still experimental. They were designed to induce dreams and allow the wearer to communicate with the outside world. They weren't meant to cause any harm. If anything, it should be the same as if he were having another dream. The only difference was he was actually aware it was a dream.

They couldn't risk taking Cisco out early. They had no idea of the repercussions. It might cause him to have the stroke either way. The best course of action would be to have him go through the dream like he'd done so before multiple times.

"Don't let him kill me!" Cisco yelled as he woke up from his dream, fear can be seen in his eyes and he was breathless.

Once it was confirmed he was okay, everyone exchanged looks with each other. They weren't sure how Cisco was still able to retain knowledge from an erased event, but they weren't going to question it at the moment. What matters is that they know Wells is The Reverse Flash. He wasn't even Wells, he was a man named Eobard Thawne that was from the distant future.

What had they gotten themselves into?

* * *

After reviewing all they learned from Cisco's dream, a plan was formulating in Barry's head. A way to expose Wells and have him admit to being the one who killed his mother and free his father from prison.

"You want to recreate those circumstances so Wells will admit to everything?" Caitlin asks him.

"Yeah," Barry confirms.

"The ones that got Cisco killed the first time? What's preventing that from happening again?" Caitlin questioned him. She didn't want her best friend to die by the hands of this madman. Again.

"We'll be prepared this time. We know what's going to happen, we have the advantage here," Barry reasoned.

"Cisco, you don't need to do this. You've already cheated death once by accident, you don't have to risk it again," Caitlin addressed Cisco.

"We need him to confess. Otherwise my father will remain trapped in that cell for the rest of his life," Barry said.

"Look Barry, I am sorry about your parents. I truly am. My father died when I was a child and I've been estranged from my mother ever since. You don't know what I would give to go back to those times when everything was simpler, but I don't want Cisco risking his life for your father's freedom," Caitlin argued. "There are some times when you just need to move on,"

"I have dedicated my entire life to freeing my father. Sometimes I thought I had gone crazy and I was chasing a fantasy. But for the first time I actually have a chance at my mother's actual murderer and being reunited with my father." Barry said.

"Okay, people, let's break this up," Cisco clapped his hands and separated his friends from each other. As much as he enjoyed watching the sparks from their arguments, it was time to get involved as their best friend. "Caitlin, this is my choice in the matter. And I'm going to do it. Wells, or whoever he is, is a psychopath and he needs to go down. I can do it,"

"But at what cost?" Caitlin asked in concern. "Your life?"

"In my dream, Wells said he thought of me like a son. I can get close to him and get him to admit to everything just like last time." Cisco added. "I'll make something to protect me, I'll be completely safe,"

"And how are you going to do that?" Caitlin asked.

"The containment field. It doesn't just keep things from getting out. It also keeps things from getting in," Cisco told them his idea. "I'll need to recalibrate a few things to make the external shell impervious to speedsters, but I can have that up in an hour tops,"

"Okay," Caitlin reluctantly agreed. "If this is what you've decided on, I'll give you as much support as you need,"

"Thank you," Cisco said, giving her a hug in reassurance. "I promise everything will be fine,"

"It better be," Caitlin said to him.

She turned back to Barry and leaned to mumble in his ear. "A hero doesn't just catch the bad guys. They protect lives. He better be okay Fleet Feet,"

"You have my word Ms. Frosty," Barry promised her.

"That's what I'm worried about," she grumbled under her breath, too low for anyone else to hear.

* * *

**A little shorter than I thought, but I figured this would be a good send-off point. We've got a little confirmation on the future as you all should know, the future is never set in stone. But I bet you all were pretty happy to see that.**

**As always, leave your comments, questions and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible. You guys are what keep me going. With that being said, I might be taking a break after season 1 is done just to make sure everything is set for season 2. It shouldn't be more than a week or two, if at all.**

**Keep safe everyone. Exercise when you can and wash your hands.**


	9. You're Bananas

**How much longer? I've lost the will to go on. I'm trapped in the same place, staring at these four grey walls for as long as I can remember. I can't remember a time when I wasn't stuck in this house.**

**I express my gratitude to my co-authors, Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen, for their generosity to help me out in my time of need.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Arrowverse**

* * *

Whilst Barry was taking care of a fire, Cisco was putting the final touches on the force field. It should be able to handle the impact of a speedster, even one on The Reverse Flash's calibre.

Their plan wouldn't go into motion until the next day. Considering what happened the first time, they couldn't risk any mess-ups. Barry had tested the force field several times, and he had yet to disrupt it once, but he had gotten close a few times. With Wells being even faster than he was, there had been a few tune-ups.

Until then, Barry was greeted with a pleasant surprise. Eddie was planning on proposing to Iris tonight. It seemed like everything was falling into place. Iris would get engaged and they would catch his mother's killer.

Which is why it surprised Barry when he learned Joe did not agree to Eddie proposing to Iris. Eddie asked him to confront Joe about the issue because he was going to be proposing to Iris either way and he hoped Joe would at least approve of their relationship for Iris' sake.

Barry brought Joe to the entrance of the Pipeline. There had been a few lectures and inspirational speeches that had taken place here. It just seemed appropriate.

"So Eddie talked to me today and told me he was planning on proposing to Iris tonight but that you said no when he asked for your blessing," Barry revealed. "I mean, I'm sure you have your reasons but I just don't get it Joe. Why'd you say no?"

"Well first off, they haven't been dating each other for that long. Barely even a year and Eddie is already deciding he wants to spend the rest of his life with her," Joe pointed out.

"Okay, I can agree with you there. Things are moving pretty fast between them, but come on Joe. It's pretty clear they both love each other. What does it matter how long they've been together?" Barry dismissed his concern. "I know you, that isn't the main reason you said no,"

"Because Iris is going to be swept up in the romance and she's going to say yes," Joe revealed his real concerns.

"Isn't that a good thing? That she's going to be happy with Eddie," Barry said, confused as to why this was a problem.

"It won't be when in a few years Iris will wake up and realize she married the wrong guy," Joe said. "But she won't do anything about it because she made a vow to always love him. I don't want that for her,"

"Iris isn't you Joe. She's not going to make the same mistakes of loving someone not right for her. If that day comes, she'll realize they're not meant to be together and divorce. Until then, it's her choice in who she wants to marry," Barry assured him Iris would make the right choice.

"Iris isn't even sure what she wants," Joe denied. "She's got feelings for you Barry. They may be buried deep down, but she's got them. I can see it,"

Barry just looked at Joe in shock. Iris had feelings for him? He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Since the moment he saw her, he'd had a crush on her, but these last few months, something had changed. He didn't feel the same way about Iris anymore. A few months ago, he'd be ecstatic but now, everything changed.

He'd finally gotten over Iris by not following her around everywhere. And having finally told her his feelings and being rejected had certainly helped. He wasn't waiting on her hand and foot for anything she could possibly need. He became his own person. He'd been feeling good about himself and learning to deal with his trauma that he no longer needed Iris for support. Without that, the feelings quickly vanished.

"What am I supposed to do with that?" Barry asked Joe about the revelation of Iris' feelings. "I don't feel that way anymore,"

"Since when?" Joe asked in astonishment.

Barry thought back to the last time he actually had feelings for Iris and he couldn't. At least, not anytime after his coma. "I don't know, but I'm not burdened by this anymore Joe. If Iris has feelings for me, that's her problem. I told her about my feelings at Christmas and she said no. It's too late. I've moved on after I've finally gotten the closure I needed,"

"Then what do you think I should do? She'll hate me for sure. What should I do, Barr?" Joe asked, not wanting Iris to hate him.

"I don't know, Joe. Maybe you should talk to Eddie and finally accept their happiness and yes, their relationship might be a little bit too fast but when you find the one that makes you happy, you gotta hold on to it." Barry patted Joe on the back to comfort him.

"I don't like it Barry," Joe said, shaking his head. "I don't approve of their relationship and I don't think they should be getting married any time soon,"

"Well I'm not asking you to approve it. They have some problems they need to work and talk through, but if they're meant to be together, they will work it out. You just need to accept that it's happening and promise you won't do anything against them," Barry said.

"Oh I know this is happening. A little too well," Joe mumbled.

"Remember, Eddie is in love with Iris. Tell him how you feel but promise you won't come between them," Barry reminded him.

Joe nodded his head in contemplation and turned to Barry one last time. "When did you get so wise in matters of the heart?"

"Well having so much love in your life from so many people helps you put love into perspective," Barry said.

Joe smiled and brought Barry into a hug which Barry reciprocated. "I love you Barr,"

"I love you too… Dad," Barry told him.

* * *

Everything was set up. The cameras were in place, Caitlin was in the Cortex, ready to tell Wells what Cisco was doing as soon as he entered.

The hologram was activated with Cisco staring directly at it in anticipation of Wells walking in on him.

Barry and Joe were concealed behind anything they could find so Wells wouldn't notice them as soon as he came.

They had rehearsed this so many times. Exactly what to say in order to get Wells to admit to his crimes on camera. The force field should be able to remain intact when activated to prevent Wells from getting to Cisco, who had a remote in his pocket ready to be used at any time.

Caitlin softly whispered into their earpieces that Wells was on his way. If he were to come in walking, he could be here at any moment if he were to use his speed.

It took a few extra minutes than they expected, but there he was. Standing on his two legs looking at Cisco who had the hologram of The Reverse Flash behind him.

Barry and Joe sat through the entire conversation between them. Cisco based his words on what he remembered in his dreams, but altered them to get a confession from Wells about the fact he killed Barry's mom.

"You killed Barry's mom," Cisco accused him.

"It was never my intention to harm Nora," Wells said, shutting off a laptop on a nearby desk.

Barry turned to Joe looking hopeful that they got it. Wells all but admitted to being the one who stabbed her.

Joe just shook his head dejectedly. "No, that's not a confession," he whispered.

Barry looked back to Cisco. They needed him to keep talking. They almost got it.

Cisco stumbled back and fell down on the platform of the containment unit. Wells had his hand raised, ready to start vibrating and plunge into Cisco's chest and to squeeze his heart until it explodes.

Cisco immediately pulls out the remote and pushes the button and activates the force field with Wells on the other side. Wells just chuckled.

"Oh-ho," he smiled in a condescending way as he gazed at the force field in place. "You're smart,"

He gasped in false realization before _stepping _right through the force field as if it weren't even there. How was that possible? They made it impervious to speedsters. He shouldn't have been able to just casually walk through it like nothing.

With their safety precaution gone, Joe shoots up from his hiding position and fires three shots at Wells in order to stop him from killing Cisco.

The sound distracts everyone except Barry. They all turned to see a streak of lightning chasing the three bullets before they could reach Wells. If they killed him now, they would never be able to get his father out of jail.

Chasing desperately, he managed to catch two of the bullets, but the third passed through the barrier before Barry could reach it. Instead, Barry was deflected and the bullet reached its target. It went straight through to his heart. Blood was already flowing out of the wound and Wells collapsed to the ground.

"He didn't confess!" Barry wailed. "This was it. This was my last chance to ever get my dad out of jail,"

They deactivated the force field and they could enter to inspect the body. Caitlin was already making her way down.

"Are you kidding me?!" Caitlin shouted at him as soon as she entered the room. "Cisco almost died and all you can think about is your father?! What were you going to do if you did catch that last bullet? Were you just going to let Cisco die again?"

"Of course not! We would have gotten the barrier down before he could have the chance," Barry defended himself. "Then I would be able to get my hands on him and avoid getting Cisco killed,"

"Caitlin, relax. I'm okay," Cisco tried to calm her down.

"Cisco, it is not okay," Caitlin shook him off. "You almost died. If Joe didn't take that shot, Wells would have killed you,"

"But he didn't. I am very much alive right now," Cisco assured her. "I'm sorry about what happened man," he addressed Barry.

"Don't apologize Cisco," Caitlin said. "I doubt he can see past his obsession to really care about us,"

"Of course I care!" Barry shouted. "When Wells got in, I wanted to do everything I could to get him away from Cisco. If the force field wasn't working against Wells, I figured if I rushed it, I could get in before whatever happened to the force field fixed itself. I could have saved both of them,"

"Well obviously that didn't work out because both Wells and a bullet managed to pass through it, but you couldn't," Caitlin pointed out. "We designed that force field to be impervious to speedsters and obviously it works,"

"So what does that mean?" Cisco asked, looking down at the bloody body.

Suddenly, Wells' body transformed into Hannibal Bates. They all stared at the shapeshifter in shock, Dr. Wells used him, like they used all of them, like a pawn in a chess game.

"Let me re-introduce…Mr. Hannibal Bates. Who has the ability to transform into anyone he touches. I knew his powers would come in handy someday, but I didn't expect to use his abilities this soon. You never cease to amaze me, Barry." Wells' voice echoed around the room from the speakers.

"You used him! Like you used all of us!" Barry shouted at him. "He was just a pawn in your plans,"

"It wasn't that difficult to convince him. Just the simple promise of his freedom and he was willing to do anything I asked," Wells told them.

"We know you're not Harrison Wells. Who are you?" Joe asked.

"That would be telling Detective," Wells dismissed him with a slight chuckle.

"After everything that happened, we stood by you, but you manipulated us since the beginning," Caitlin accused him.

"Why are you doing all this? You came here for me. So hurt me. Kill me, just get my dad out of prison," Barry offered to him.

"I don't want to hurt you Barry. I need you," Wells revealed.

"Then face me now," Barry demanded.

"Oh, we will. In due time. But not today," Wells said. "See you soon Flash."

An alert sounded on Cisco's phone about speedster activity in STAR Labs that wasn't from Barry. "He's in the Time Vault," Cisco informed them.

Immediately Barry sped out of the room towards where the Time Vault was only to be shown a wall covered in footage of the past year taken from various places. "Oh my god," Barry mumbled to himself as he watched all the past events unfold. "We thought we put a trap for him, but he had a trap for us," Barry realized that Wells was aware of everything that was going on around him. Nothing got past him.

Barry focused on one video that didn't have any of the STAR Labs gang. It was Iris in her workplace at CCPN. "Iris," he mumbled to himself, worried of what Wells would do.

Barry ran back to the Cortex to tell everyone of what he learned. "Wells had been watching us. He has cameras set up everywhere. In our homes, work stations, Central City Picture News." Barry directs that last location to Joe, informing him that Iris was being watched as well. "Cisco, call me when you get a location for Iris."

"She's at the waterfront!" Cisco yells after pinging the location of her phone.

Barry got on his suit and he ran towards the waterfront. As he ran, he saw two people standing on the bridge. He immediately recognized the two figures, it was Iris and Eddie. Eddie was on his knees, kneeling in front of Iris. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was happening, Eddie is proposing to Iris.

Before he could get there, he saw a flash of red lightning. Wells was already there. Eddie was knocked to the ground with Iris left standing in shock. Barry pushed himself to make it, but another show of red lightning appeared and the two people on the bridge became one.

The very instant The Reverse Flash left, Barry kneeled down to a sobbing Iris. Barry vibrated his face as well as his vocal chords in order for Iris to not recognize him. "He took him. He took Eddie," she mumbled.

Ordinarily, she would have been awestruck at meeting The Flash. The blog she created about him and giving his name after the incident with Tony Woodward was the entire reason she had her current job at the paper, but she hadn't really seen him since then.

"Hey, it's alright." The Flash assured her. "I'm going to find him, I promise," he then ran out of there in order to chase after the yellow speedster. There was a brief spark of electricity he felt when his hand left Iris', but he paid it no mind. His entire body was coated in lightning when he used his powers, he even learned how to utilize it as a weapon. A small spark of static electricity didn't mean anything.

Every second he spent comforting Iris was probably an hour to the speedsters, and that was time they couldn't afford with Wells on the loose and with Eddie as a captive.

* * *

After several failed attempts of trying to pinpoint a location on either Eddie or Wells, Barry had returned to STAR Labs dejected. He was so close. His goal for the past decade had almost been accomplished tonight, and he had let it run away.

If he was just faster, he could have stopped Wells before he had a chance to ruin what was supposed to be the perfect night. Eddie was going to propose to Iris. She should be out celebrating her engagement, not worrying about the life of her boyfriend.

"I've searched everywhere in the city at least twice. I can't find them," Barry said.

"Well obviously not everywhere if you still can't find them." Caitlin retorted.

"Wells could have taken them out of the city. As a speedster, he could be half-way across the world by now." Barry pointed out that Wells could have taken them out of the city limits.

"No, Wells wouldn't do that. He'd stay close because he wants to see his plan take fruition. He's still somewhere nearby, we're just not looking in the right places," Cisco shook his head.

"Well then maybe he's got some secret hideout that only he knows about," Barry suggested.

"It wouldn't be the first secret to be pushed around," a voice sounded behind them.

Everyone turned around to see Iris West walk into the Cortex with an angry expression on her face. Her eyes seemed to glow with a silent rage as they locked onto Barry, who had not yet changed out of The Flash suit.

Barry sighed, deciding to explain to Iris over a private conversation. He guided her to his _and_ Cisco's cosmic treadmill, thinking that Caitlin and Cisco can't hear their conversation.

"Why didn't you tell me, Barry? Why?" Iris demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I did it to protect you and because Joe asked me to…" Barry trailed off as Iris picked up his last statement.

* * *

Meanwhile, Caitlin kept glancing at the other room while Cisco was just eating his red vine. Caitlin then stood up and voiced her distress.

"I think we should listen to their conversation." Cisco turned his head towards Caitlin with a confused look.

"Why? What's going on between them isn't our business." Cisco shrugged off.

"But The Flash is our business and Barry is The Flash, so by transitive property, Barry and Iris is our business." Caitlin argued smugly, reaching out to press the mic button but was stopped by Cisco.

"Why are you really doing this? Tell me, Caitlin. I'm your best friend, you can tell me anything."

"You can't tell me that you aren't a little worried about what they're talking about," Caitlin said.

Cisco looked at her, determination on his face to give Barry and Iris some privacy. But his curiosity won out in the end. He sighed and let go of Caitlin's arm and let her activate the mic to listen in on their conversation.

* * *

"My dad knew about this?" Iris yelled at him.

Barry cringed. He probably shouldn't have told her that yet. "He was one of the first people I told," he revealed.

Iris scoffed in disbelief. "Who else knows? Was I the only one who didn't know you were The Flash?"

"No!" Barry denied. "There's…" he trailed off, trying to think of anyone else who didn't know about his secret identity. Now that he was thinking about it, there really wasn't anyone in his circle of friends who didn't know his identity by now. The only one he could really think of was Captain Singh.

"When were you planning on telling me?" Iris asked him.

When he didn't reply, instead his mouth gaping trying to find the words to try to calm her down.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Iris demanded.

"You know I don't have to tell you anything," Barry blurted out.

"Excuse me?" Iris asked.

"You heard me. I don't have to tell you what's going on in my personal life. And in all honesty I wish I didn't have to tell anyone," Barry said. "And come to think of it, how did you figure out I was The Flash?"

"When you held my hand before, I felt a spark of electricity. I only felt that once before, when I was holding your hand in your coma," Iris revealed.

Barry had a look of confusion on his face, trying to come to grips with how his identity was revealed. "You're telling me you found out I was The Flash because of static electricity?" he asked in disbelief.

"Was I wrong?" Iris questioned him.

"That is beside the point. What is everybody who gives you a static shock, a suspect of being The Flash?" Barry asked.

"No, that shock was familiar to me," Iris argued.

"That was a one time thing months ago," Barry said. "How do you differentiate between the regular shocks you get?"

"That's not important," Iris sighed. "What matters right now is that you kept this big part of your life from me for months. We grew up in the same house together. We tell each other everything,"

"Oh, like how you were hiding your relationship with Eddie from Joe and I?" Barry pointed out. "Tell me Iris, if I hadn't caught you two, when were you planning on telling me?"

"That's not fair. You just got out of your coma after nine months. I didn't want to burden you with all this new information that so much has changed," Iris retorted. "And that is a completely different situation."

"You're right, telling your best friend about your new boyfriend is much different than talking about how one of us now has powers. I'm glad we're both on the same page here." Barry said.

"I thought you trusted me Barry. But now because you didn't tell me about this other part of you, Eddie has been kidnapped, and it's all your fault." Iris shouted at him.

"That is not my fault. I'm not the one who took Eddie. I didn't want him involved in all this but Joe insisted it would be better if Eddie was in the know," Barry said.

"Eddie knew about all this too?" Iris asked, shocked.

"The bottom line is, even if I had told you, you wouldn't have been able to do anything. I don't want you to be a part of this. What I do with my life is none of your concern. So I don't have to tell you anything if I don't want to even if you are my best friend," Barry said.

"Then I guess I'm not your best friend," Iris said, walking out of the room.

"Come on Iris," Barry sighed in frustration. "Try to see things from my perspective. I'm the biggest target in Central City for every other metahuman. The less people who know about me the better,"

"You still should have told me," Iris demanded.

"For what reason? The only thing that would happen would be putting you in danger. No matter what happens between us I never want to see you get hurt, especially because of me," Barry told her.

Iris walked up right to his face. "Well it's too late for that, because now The Man in Yellow has Eddie, and I'm going to do everything I can to bring him back,"

"Iris please leave this alone. I will handle it and bring Eddie back to you, I promise," Barry pleaded with her.

"No, I am going to be a part of this. And I won't stop until I have Eddie back with me," Iris argued.

Iris didn't wait for Barry to reply, she angrily stomped back to the Cortex, where she was greeted by Caitlin and Cisco shuffling to themselves. She then left the STAR Labs and went to the CCPD to talk to Joe about keeping her in the dark.

Meanwhile, when Barry finally decided to head back to his friends, he caught the tail-end of their conversation.

"That had nothing to do with us at all." Caitlin said, after they made sure that Iris was out of earshot.

Barry turned to the two suspiciously. "Were you two spying on me?" he asked.

"It was all her idea!" Cisco quickly shouted, pointing directly towards Caitlin before getting out of sight.

"Cisco," Caitlin angrily grumbled.

"Do you have an explanation on why you are listening in on my private conversations?" Barry glared at her.

"For your information, Iris just found out you were The Flash. It was important that we make sure that Iris wasn't a threat to revealing our operations." Caitlin said.

"Iris is my best friend, and practically my sister. I trust her with everything," Barry told her.

"Well if she's so trustworthy I don't understand why this conversation hasn't happened already," Caitlin replied.

"Of course there are things I would rather keep from her. _This _being one of them," Barry gestured to The Flash suit he was still wearing.

"So you don't trust her with everything," Caitlin said.

"I'm not saying I don't. I just said there are things I want her to know and things I think would be better left unsaid," Barry argued.

"You know, I don't even really think she's mad about the fact that you're The Flash. She's more mad that you didn't tell her and instead she had to find out for herself," Caitlin told him.

"I would have gotten around to telling her about this someday, when things weren't so hectic around here. Maybe sometime after her upcoming birthday," Barry said. "Things would probably be settled down by then."

"If you were going to tell her, you should have just told her, because there is never a good time to tell someone about being a vigilante," Caitlin said.

"I never wanted her to find out about any of this. I miss the days when The Flash was still just a whisper on the street," Barry reminisced of the old times.

"We were still fighting constantly back then," Caitlin reminded him.

"Well, that's one thing I could do without, but really I wouldn't trade that for anything," Barry said.

"God, you are so sappy Fleet Feet. It's making me sick," Caitlin rolled her eyes, but there was a small smile on her lips.

It didn't escape Barry's notice. "Well, it seems I'm not the only one who feels that way Ms. Frosty,"

"Shut up, you speed demon," Caitlin suppressed her smile and glared at him. She shouldn't be feeling happy around him. That would only lead to the future they saw in the Time Vault.

"Make me, you ice witch," Barry glared at her back. He needed to control his emotions as well. He didn't want to be tied down to her in the future at all, and the only way to do that would be preventing these elated feelings whenever he was around her.

They both didn't notice they were slowly leaning into each other. Their glares still present, their faces getting closer with every second.

"God, just kiss already!" a voice yelled. Cisco re-entered the Cortex, startling Caitlin and Barry away from each other. They both noticed just how close they had gotten to each other, a blush evident on both of their faces. To distract themselves from that embarrassing moment, they both turned to Cisco to yell at him instead.

"Shut up Cisco!" they yelled at the same time. Shocked, they both turned to the other again, irritation taking over them. They both grabbed the other's shoulder and activated their powers.

Barry's lightning crawled up her arm and Caitlin's frost and ice encased his shoulder. Barry's entire left arm was frozen and there was smoke coming off of Caitlin's sleeve.

Satisfied with what they had done to the other, they both turned their attention to Cisco again, taking a step away from each other in the process.

Cisco just stared at their interaction, not at all surprised they still tortured each other whenever the need arose. It was increasing exponentially when it was revealed they were married to each other in the future. They spent the entire day either ignoring the other or arguing over stupid things the day they were preparing the trap for Wells.

"Anyway, I think I found something. When I was looking for places that could be potential hiding places for Wells, I stumbled across this article about a monster in the sewer systems," Cisco informed them. "Two city workers went to check it out, but they haven't returned."

"Think it could be Wells?" Barry asked, intrigued.

"No, that was a couple days ago, but who knows? Maybe Wells has a stash down there and he's hired a meta to keep everyone away. Either way, it's worth checking out," Cisco said.

* * *

This turned out to be a weird case. It was the work of a meta, but not human. This was their first case of a meta animal. A giant gorilla who had been a lab experiment for STAR Labs who was looking into creating humans with mental abilities in order to question suspects.

The gorilla's name was Grodd, and he was working for Wells. He saw him as his father as he saved him from being subjected to more experiments after it was revealed the study was meant to create human weapons for the army.

Unfortunately, this didn't involve Eddie in the slightest, but they had their new meta of the week.

When they tried going down in the sewers to search for him, trying to pinpoint his lair, he grabbed Joe before they got too close. That was bad, seeing as Joe was deathly afraid of gorillas. Especially one who could talk and take control of his mind. It didn't help that Grodd's presence literally induced fear, similar to how Bivolo induced rage.

They tried every tactic they could think of. Grodd managed to catch the supersonic punch. Speed punches barely fazed him. The lightning seemed to be working for a while, but that soon ended when he managed to grab Barry and throw him through a wall.

They created a device that was designed to prevent Grodd from entering his mind and deal him with crippling fear, but that was destroyed when he was thrown through a wall.

Soon, Barry couldn't even stand due to the feelings of fear and panic Grodd was inflicting upon him. Which wasn't good since he was on train tracks with a train coming very soon. If he didn't get off of them, he would be flattened and die.

"Barry!" Caitlin yelled in concern.

There were grunts and rapid deep breaths on the other end as Barry tried to calm himself, but it was all in vain as they were interrupted by another scream of pure fear.

"Barry, you need to get out of there. A train is coming and you are literally in its way," Cisco yelled at him.

Barry tried to stand up, but another wave a fear elicited another scream, keeping him rooted in his place.

"Barry, listen to me," Caitlin shouted. If they could somehow get Barry to overcome this fear Grodd was inflicting, Barry would be able to get away. Luckily, Caitlin was trained in the art of angering Barry Allen.

"Barry, you need to stand up and get out of the way because if you don't, Wells wins. Your father is going to rot in jail for the rest of his life because you couldn't get justice for your mother. Grodd still has Joe, and Wells has Eddie. You are going to let all of them die, just because you're a little scared. You are so pathetic!" Caitlin yelled at him.

"I'd like to see you go up against a giant mutant gorilla that-AHHHHHH!" Barry started to yell, but left clutching his head, but at least he was still standing.

"Then prove me wrong, because all you need to do is take five steps back, but you can't even do that. What kind of hero are you, Fleet Feet?" Caitlin challenged him.

"I'll show you Ms. Frosty," he grumbled under his breath. Barry lifted his head to stare up at Grodd. Lightning crackling behind his eyes, he kept his resolve firm.

Grodd saw the human before him stand up to him. He entered his mind again to cause another feeling of fear.

Barry felt Grodd enter his mind again. He saw images of his worst nightmares, and stumbled slightly, but he remained standing, glaring at Grodd, not letting any indication that he was scared to his wits end.

Enraged that some measly human could counteract his powers when Wells made him to be superior to them, he jumped from where he was towards Flash, but at the last second, Flash moved away, and Grodd was too caught up in his own pride of power to notice the train coming up beside him, which collided into him.

Letting the train pass by, Grodd was nowhere to be found, but Barry could hear the groans of pain coming from Joe where he came from.

With Grodd who knows where, Barry brought Joe back to STAR where he could be treated by Caitlin.

"Maybe it was a good thing we didn't get Grodd. I mean where would we put him?" Cisco says, trying to lighten the mood. "The Pipeline isn't really designed to be housing giant gorillas."

"This was all a part of Wells' plan. He used Grodd to distract us from what he was doing, but what is he planning?" Barry asked the team.

"We'll get him Barr, just like we always do." Joe assured him from the med bay.

"Joe, you should be resting or you won't get better." Caitlin scolded him.

"I'll be better when we get the freak who sent a giant gorilla after me," Joe growled out his hatred for Wells.

* * *

**Thanks for sticking with me everyone. I know things are a little grim right now, but we just gotta stay safe. This was not my best work, I'll admit. There were some fun parts but I just don't like this one as much as the others.**

**To guest reviewer bing: Since you're reviewing on Chapter 3, I get the feeling you haven't read the rest of the story. If you have, then you should know that I'm not planning on having Barry and Caitlin together until much later in the series. And the reason why there was no apology from Barry for the reveal was because he believes he doesn't have to. Keep in mind, Barry and Caitlin are not close to friends. They're colleagues at best. And just as they were starting to get along, it turns out Caitlin has come up with the idea of the cold gun, that not only was designed to stop him, but was used to kill a man. If anything, Barry feels that he should receive the apology.**

**So season 2 is coming along. Granted at a much slower pace than I would like, but it turns out it's because there's so much I want to incorporate into it that it's taking much longer. There's probably going to be one chapter left for season 1, unless I decide to split it up into two parts. Either way, I'm definitely going to need a vacation from staring at this screen for so long.**

**I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Tell me your thoughts, ask away any questions. I am at your command. See you all next week.**


	10. All The Wrong Reasons

**Dear all, we've arrived at the season finale. It's been a long time coming and I'm excited to share it with you. I'm thankful for all the support I've been given for the past few months and of course I will continue into season two. Make sure to check out my co-authors, Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to The Arrowverse**

* * *

Another alert sounded in STAR Labs. One that hadn't been heard in a long time. The particle accelerator had been activated. But it was impossible. Despite Wells having created it, there was no way he could remotely activate it. It had to be worked from… STAR Labs.

That meant Wells has been hiding right where they are. Literally under their noses the entire time. They practically searched the rest of the city looking for him, and he was hiding in their basement.

Barry, Cisco, and Iris went down into the accelerator to see what was going on. There was no sign of Wells, but there was something glowing on the side of the ring. Cisco stayed behind to check it out, and Barry and Iris continued to investigate. They heard the slight mumbles that seemed to be coming from their feet.

They soon found a hatch that led them even further down, where the mumbles turned into cries of help. Iris immediately recognized the voice. Eddie!

The two found Eddie tied up to a chair. It was obvious he was put through a lot these past few days. There was blood covering his clothes and several bruises littering his body, and that was just what they could see. Who knew what kind of hell he suffered.

They brought him to Caitlin, where she stitched up his wounds after cleaning them to make sure they wouldn't get infected. He was going to be fine. It seemed Wells tortured him, but made sure to stray away from anything that could be life threatening.

It was soon learned why, after Eddie told them of the conversation he had with Wells. His real name was Eobard Thawne, a distant descendant of his. If anything were to happen to Eddie, Wells, or Eobard, would threaten his own existence. He literally called Eddie his insurance.

There was another problem to address however, as the glow they discovered down there was coming from a futuristic battery Wells had created. It managed to power the entire accelerator and override all of their commands to turn it off. They couldn't even tamper with it as they couldn't be sure that Wells hadn't installed a failsafe to keep them from interfering.

But with the accelerator active again, it was a danger to all the metas they had locked up in there. They would die once the accelerator was fully charged.

Barry wasn't going to let that happen. They put them in there so they wouldn't have to kill them for being criminals with powers. They decided to move them to another location where they wouldn't harm anyone. Lian Yu, the island prison where Oliver kept his most dangerous enemies.

They enlisted the help of Leonard Snart and his sister Lisa. In exchange, they would get rid of all the evidence they had stacked against him.

That turned out to be a fake deal as Snart allowed all of the metas to escape. All the work they put in to keep the city safe from these types of criminals for the past year, Snart let them loose because now they all owed him a favour for getting them free.

They couldn't deal with this right now though. They had bigger things to worry about. The accelerator was now fully charged, which meant Wells was coming. They captured those metas once before, they could do it again. Just not today.

A figure was approaching STAR Labs, and despite the darkness, they all knew who it was. Wells had returned.

Luckily they called in for back-up. They managed to get a hold of Ronnie and Stein and brought Oliver in as well. He brought an interesting set of skills being the only one of the group lacking in supernatural abilities.

What ensued was a brief, but gruesome battle. Barry and Eobard immediately launched into a chase with each other, circling the other, trying to see who would make a mistake first.

Firestorm launched a fireball at the two, not hitting either of them, but successfully separating the speedsters from a seemingly even match.

Annoyed, The Reverse Flash rotated his arm, creating a wind funnel towards Firestorm, strong enough to blow him back for several blocks.

The Flash ran off to catch him. While Reverse Flash was preoccupied with that, Green Arrow snuck up behind him and fired an arrow with a special gift in it. It seemed all speedsters were too confident in their speed to guard their backside.

The arrow pierced through the yellow suit into the flesh underneath, injecting something that would even the playing field for Oliver. "Nanites. Courtesy of Ray Palmer. They're vibrating at a frequency that is disabling your speed. You're not going to be running around for awhile." Oliver announced, quite proud of himself.

Without his powers, Thawne was forced into a fistmatch. In terms of skill, Oliver clearly outmatched him. It took almost no effort to pin Thawne down, even without the use of his bow as a close range weapon.

That soon changed however when Thawne's eyes glowed red once again. His face blurred, indicating his speed was back. In a flash of red lightning, Thawne managed to reverse the course of the battle.

Being too close, Oliver wasn't able to notch another arrow to disable his powers. Thawne's speed allowed him to land several well placed blows, and Oliver was left on his back.

Thawne came up to him, one hand vibrating right above his chest. "The history books say you age to be 86 years old Mr. Queen." Thawne taunts him. "Well I guess the history books are wrong,"

His fingers just barely phase into Oliver's chest before Barry returns, tackling Thawne off of him, saving Oliver's life. Still on the ground, Oliver fires another arrow at the duo, trusting his own instincts not to hurt his friend.

The arrow startles Thawne. Not wanting to be subjected to losing his powers again, runs up the side of the building with Barry in tow.

There, the speedsters circle the outer ring of the building, Barry just slightly lagging behind Eobard.

Ronnie and Stein fly up to the roof, charging a fireball in their hand. They eyed the chase, trying to find their moment of opportunity.

It came when the speedsters ran down the middle of the building instead of their usual circle. The fire meta sent a stream of flames at them. Barry ducked out of the way, but Thawne wasn't able to get out of the way in time.

The yellow speedster was sent flying off the roof and landing on top of a car.

As the finishing blow, Oliver released an arrow while the speedster was still down that was filled with a sedative that should render him unconscious long enough for them to put him in the pipeline with the injuries he'd sustained.

They'd learned from their previous failures of how potent the drugs should be after Barry shrugged off lethal doses when he was in his enraged state from Bivolo.

Barry thanked the three of them for their assistance, but Oliver had to get back to Starling. He considered it as returning the favour since Barry had recently rescued his team from captivity from the League of Assassins whilst he was preoccupied with other matters.

Ronnie and Stein were staying, at least for the meantime. They wanted to see this through, plus they had people they needed to visit since they were back.

They dragged the unconscious body of The Reverse Flash into the building and threw him into a cell in the Pipeline.

At long last, Barry finally got him. But his work wasn't done yet. Not by a longshot.

* * *

Once it was confirmed Wells, or Thawne, or whoever he was, was awake, Barry made his way down to the Pipeline. He requested that nobody else come with him. This was a personal moment. A confrontation for over a decade in the making.

Barry touched the side panel that would call forth the man in question. When he appeared, he was wearing the clothes he showed up in. The suit was nowhere in sight, but he still had that ring on where he made his suit appear in the first place, so it was probably in there at the moment.

For the longest time, they just stared at each other. Barry didn't know how to start, while the man who taunted him for years stood with a slightly amused expression on his face.

"What? No Big Belly Burger?" Eobard asked. "It's one of the few perks of living in this time. We're out of cows where I come from. You don't want to know that. You have questions Barry. Ask."

"Not sure where to start, _Thawne," _Barry used his real name instead of the one he stole from an innocent man. A man who would be blamed for everything to the public, no matter how they told the story.

"That is your real name isn't it? Eobard Thawne?" Barry asked, just to clarify.

"Since the day I was born," Eobard replied.

"And when is that?" Barry asked.

"126 years from now," Eobard answered, but was quick to stop this useless conversation. "That's not what you want to know. Go ahead Barry. Ask,"

"Why did you kill my mother?" Barry asked the question that had been on his mind ever since that night 15 years ago.

"Because I hate you," Eobard answered. "Not you now. You years from now,"

"In the future," Barry stated. It was still a little hard for him to grasp it, despite having time traveled himself.

"In _a_ future, yes," Eobard corrected him. "We're enemies. Rivals, opposites, _reverses_ of one another,"

"Why? Why were we enemies?" Barry asked. Confused over what could have happened that would make this person hate him so much to kill his mother.

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter anymore," Eobard sighed as he told him. "What matters is that neither one of us was strong enough to defeat the other. But then I learned your secret," he revealed the instrument of his entire plan.

"I learned your name. _Barry Allen_. And finally I knew how to defeat you once and for all. Travel back in time. Kill you as a child. Wipe you from the face of the universe," Thawne revealed his original plan of what he planned to do.

Barry grimaced as he knew that wasn't how things turned. It seemed that Gideon AI he created was telling the truth. He wanted to yell. He wanted to demand to know why his mother became the target instead, but he kept quiet. He would get his answers.

"But then you, future you that is, followed me back and we fought. We both landed some pretty solid shots. But then you, future you," Thawne made clear on which Barry Allen he was talking about seeing as there were two of them that night. "Got your younger self out of there." he retold the story of how Barry managed to escape death that night.

"I was so mad, but then I thought '_What if you were to suffer a tragedy? What if you were to suffer from something so terrible, so traumatic that your younger self would never recover? That you would never become The Flash.' _So I stabbed your mother in the heart." Thawne told him why his original plan changed.

"And I was free. Finally able to return to a future without The Flash, only to realize that in my travelling back, I'd lost my way home. I lost my ability to harness the Speed Force, and without it I was stuck here. Stranded in this time, unable to return to my own and the only way back was The Flash. But The Flash was gone and so I created him." he explained why he was still here and the reason why he allowed Barry to become The Flash once again.

Barry just shook his head. There were still so many things that just didn't make sense. "Why train me? Why help me save so many people?"

"Because I needed you to get fast!" Thawne pounded the glass in anger. "Fast enough to rupture the space time barrier and create a stable wormhole through which I could return home,"

"Why would I ever do that?" Barry questioned the flaw in his problem. His entire plan rode on the fact Barry would just be willing to do this after it was revealed he killed his mother. That he would just let the reason his entire childhood was ruined return home with a blank slate.

"Because Barry Allen if you get me what I want, I can get you what you want. You can go back and save your mother. You can prevent your father from ever going to jail. You can reunite the Allen family," Eobard offered.

Barry glared at him. After everything the man put him through, he didn't trust a word he said. "No, I don't believe you. I want to kill you right now," Barry shouted at the man.

"I know that rage. I used to feel that rage every time I looked upon you. But now I know what Joe and Henry feel when they look upon you with pride. With love," Eobard whispers that last part, just low enough to be heard.

"No. No, don't you ever say that to me!" Barry yelled at the man, who killed his mother and ruined his life, that had the audacity to say that he cared about him.

"I know you're upset. But I'm giving you a chance. I'm _giving_ you a chance to right the wrongs I've done," Eobard pointed out. "Don't you want that chance?"

Barry backed away from the cell, scowling at the man before him, returning the cell back into its cavity in the wall.

* * *

Barry was sitting on the treadmill, crying to himself when suddenly, Caitlin came in and sat next to him.

"What should I do, Cait? Do I trust him again or should I just let him rot in the pipeline?"

"I don't know, Barry. What does your heart tell you to do?" She asked, looking at his eyes with an encouraging smile.

Barry had a pensive look on his face as he contemplated his decision. "I don't know. This is what I've been dreaming of for the past 15 years. To save my mom, get my dad out of jail. Actually have a childhood,"

"Fall in love?" Caitlin added.

Barry turned to her at that. Caitlin continued. "You and I both know that if we met under different circumstances, things wouldn't have turned out the way they did between us."

"And who's fault is that?" Barry accused her.

"That's fair. I will take the blame for that," Caitlin sighed. "Still, this is a chance to get a blank slate. Meet, get married without all this bad blood between the two of us,"

"Almost sounds like you would like to get married to me," Barry teased her.

"Well a different version of me," Caitlin corrected him. "I'm not getting near you with a wedding ring in this lifetime,"

"But if I do, I'd be letting The Reverse Flash go free. He doesn't even get a slap on the wrist. I'd be letting him get away with everything he's done to all the people he's hurt," Barry pointed out.

"Not everything is going to be perfect, but if you do, you'll never hear from him again by the sound of it," Caitlin said.

"With the way things are in my life, I'd probably run into him again whether I like it or not," Barry grumbled. "This goes against everything I stood for when I decided to become The Flash. To save people, to make sure criminals get what they deserve, and I'm actually considering letting the guy who killed my mother get away with nothing to show for it."

"But if you do, all his crimes would never have happened," Caitlin pointed out. "Nothing would be as it is today,"

"And that's another thing," Barry said. "I love my life. There have been hardships, but they've made me stronger. Am I really willing to let it all go to live a fantasy?"

"A fantasy that could be made real if you really want it," Caitlin told him.

"I feel that you are trying to push me into actually doing this. Is that what you think? That I should do this?" Barry asked.

"Despite all our arguments, you're a good guy Barry, and I think you deserve some happiness after everything you've been through," Caitlin told him her opinion. "It's your decision, just know that we'll all be supporting you, no matter what you decide Fleet Feet,"

Barry chuckled slightly when she said her nickname for him. "Maybe I should wipe you out of existence while I'm there Ms. Frosty. Get rid of this irritating headache I've had for the past year," he said in jest.

"Please, you're not getting rid of me that easily. I'll just come back to haunt you till the day you die," Caitlin rolled her eyes at him.

"Thanks for the talk, Caitlin. I think I know what I'm going to do," Barry stood up and ran out of the room to prepare for whatever he decided.

All the while, Caitlin kept her eyes trained on the door he exited, silently begging him that he wouldn't leave them all. Wouldn't leave her.

* * *

After her heartfelt conversation with Barry, she too got out of the room. Ronnie immediately ran up to her and asked her if they could talk in private.

She led them to her own laboratory, sighing as they reached their destination, knowing fully well that they needed to talk about their relationship.

"Ronnie, I-" Caitlin was cut off by the fire meta.

"Let me stop you there, Cait. I know that you don't love me anymore, at least not in that way anymore. You love Barry. Everybody knows it and if I'm going to be honest with myself, I knew it too, ever since I came back. " Ronnie said with a sad smile.

"What are you talking about?" Caitlin questioned him, completely confused. "Ronnie there is nothing going on between Barry and I. I don't love him, I hate him," she insisted.

"Love and hate aren't too different," Ronnie pointed out.

"But there is a distinct line between the two, and I'm fairly certain the two of us have not crossed that, not even close. The line is so far away we don't even know it's there," Caitlin gestured frantically.

Ronnie tried to keep up with her rapid speech, but soon got lost. "What are we talking about again?"

"The point of the matter is I don't love Barry. I love you Ronnie. I agreed to marry you, not Barry," Caitlin said.

"You're right, you're not marrying Barry," Ronnie relented.

Caitlin let out a sigh of relief.

"Because you're already married to him," Ronnie finished.

Caitlin gasped in shock and started to stutter in confusion.

"I don't mean literally," Ronnie corrected himself. "But the way you two act around each other just screams that you're already married, or at least, you're in love,"

"Ronnie, there is a snowball's chance in hell that I will ever willingly get married to Barry." Caitlin shouted at him.

"You tend to his wounds," Ronnie pointed out.

"I am his doctor. It is my literal job to heal his wounds," Caitlin retorted.

"You talk to each other constantly," Ronnie continued.

"Argue constantly. We barely have any actual conversations," Caitlin rolled her eyes.

"You talk about each other to everyone you talk to," Ronnie said.

"Complaining about each other. And there is only so much the baristas at Jitters can take before I'm forcefully ejected," Caitlin crossed her arms.

"You have nicknames for each other," Ronnie reminded her.

"Those were meant to be nicknames of irritation," Caitlin pointed out.

"Which turned into terms of endearment," Ronnie said.

Caitlin sighed and closed her eyes in frustration. She just didn't understand why Ronnie was being so difficult. There was nothing going on between her and Barry. There would never be anything between her and Barry, and she and Ronnie were going to be married to ensure that would never happen.

"I agreed to marry you Ronnie. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you," Caitlin said.

Ronnie shook his head. "I love you too Cait, but I'm not getting married to someone who is clearly in love with someone else,"

"There is no one else Ronnie, there is only you," Caitlin insisted. "And if you still doubt me, I'll prove it. Let's get married right now,"

"What?" Ronnie asked.

"You heard me, we'll get married right now," Caitlin repeated. "We'll go to city hall and get registered as soon as possible, then we'll live the rest of our lives as husband and wife,"

"Caitlin I'm not sure about this," Ronnie said with doubt in his voice.

"Marriage is all about trusting in each other no matter what. Do you trust me?" Caitlin questioned him.

Ronnie let out a sigh and took a moment to think about his answer, looking into her eyes to see the woman he had fallen in love with all those years ago.

"Yes," Ronnie replied.

"'Yes' as in you trust me? Or 'yes' as you will marry me?" Caitlin asked to clarify.

"To all the above. Let's do this. I trust you, with all my heart," Ronnie said to the woman he loves with everything he has.

Caitlin smiled and leaned in to give him a kiss on the lips, which Ronnie was eager to reciprocate.

* * *

In a small moment of peace, everyone had gathered outside STAR Labs to attend the ceremony of Caitlin and Ronnie's wedding with Prof. Stein as the minister.

It was a beautiful scene, and it gave everyone a moment of relief from the regular stress of hero life. For the time, nobody thought about what would happen next. Whether Barry would decide to rewrite history or they would spend the rest of their time keeping their former boss in lockup in the very facility he created.

Nobody was worried about the next worldly disaster, and instead was elated to see the union of two people they were all close with come together after so many hardships.

And everybody cheered when Martin Stein pronounced the two husband and wife and they kissed to seal their union forever.

But it was at that moment, watching two of the people he cared for the most, that Barry had come to a realization. He'd made his decision. He knew what he had to do.

* * *

**Sorry it's considerably shorter than most of my chapters, but I ended up writing so much for the last episode it was nearly double my regular amount. I decided to split it into two chapters. You'll see the remaining of the episode next week. After that, we'll have completed season one.**

**I'm excited to share season two with all of you because I just love that one so much. It's my favourite of all the seasons. There's going to be so much I'm doing that it's tiring. With that being said, I'm going to take the next few weeks off of writing. There's only so much inspiration you can have at a time, and lately, I've just been feeling stuck in my writing.**

**Hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter and tell me what you thought. Your support means the world to me.**

**Some of you have expressed interest in the big confession between Barry and Caitlin, and to be frank, so am I. Lately it's the only thing driving me to get out these chapters, so I promise it is going to be fantastic. Or as good as I'm going to be able to. It'll be unexpected for them. That's for sure.**

**See you all next week for the final chapter of season one. Stay safe everyone.**


	11. So Long

**We've made it. The season one finale. This has been a long time coming and I'm so glad so many of you have enjoyed the journey to get here. I promise, there is plenty more to come. Check out my co-authors Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen. You might find something else you really like.**

**Disclaimer: The Arrowverse doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

"Alright, how do I do this?" Barry asked a monitor showing Eobard Thawne in his cage down in the pipeline, after coming to the decision that would do it. He was going to save his mother.

"Simple really. We use the particle accelerator." Thawne answered.

"How do we do that?" Joe asked. The rest of Team Flash in the Cortex as well, wanting to make sure that nothing went wrong. They could never be too sure when dealing with someone who built their own cage. "The last time that thing went on, a lot of people got hurt."

"Yes, well this time the accelerator will do what it was originally intended for. Before we injected two hydrogen particles that collided with each other at high speeds. This time, we're only going to inject one," Thawne told them.

"And I'm what it will collide with," Barry realized now why Thawne needed to get him faster.

"Exactly," Thawne smiled at him. It was sickening. "The impact will create a tear in space and time, allowing someone the ability to travel from this time to anytime. For instance, my time. Or say, the night your mother died,"

"If I'm going to do this, how fast would I need to be travelling?" Barry asked.

"By my calculations, around mach 2," Thawne answered.

Barry scoffed at that though. "I've never gone that fast," Barry pointed out.

"You will. I believe in you Barry," Thawne encouraged him.

Everyone just glared at him when he said that. They knew he was only saying that for his own personal gain, but after working with each other for a year, Thawne obviously knew exactly what to say to get the desired reaction.

"Not that I care but how will you get home? You constantly lose your speed at the most convenient time, don't you?" Barry smirked, glad that he had something on the yellow clad speedster.

"That's why you're going to build me something that will allow me to travel through the wormhole without any ill effects." Thawne said.

"You need us to build you a time machine?" Barry asked to clarify what he was asking of them.

"I've already gathered everything you will need. You simply need to construct it,"

Barry shook his head in disbelief. Thawne had really prepared for this moment, making sure everything was just as he wanted. Barry turned off the monitor before turning back to face his team.

"So, what do we think?" he asked.

"I just have one question," Cisco raised his hand. "Why? Why would you ever consider this?"

"You know why," Barry simply said.

"You have been presented with a rare opportunity Mr. Allen. The chance to go back and right a wrong, but there can be many consequences that you must be made aware of," Prof. Stein added in his own opinion.

"I understand what would happen if I were to save my mother. History would be changed. Everything could turn out completely different from what I know," Barry said.

"Exactly. Every decision creates a chain reaction. Moments upon moments each impacting the next. If you were to go back and save your mother, that event would alter everything. Nothing you know would be how it is, and you would never know the difference because you wouldn't remember," Stein agreed.

"I'm going to do this. I have to," Barry said solemnly.

"Well then according to these notes from our time traveler, you would have approximately a minute and forty-seven seconds to alter the course of history before the wormhole you created would become unstable," Stein said, looking over the notes provided by Eobard.

"Do you think you can even do this?" Iris questioned him. "I mean you said you've never gone fast enough to reach the required speed,"

"Let me worry about how fast I need to go, in the meantime we need to build the time machine Thawne mentioned," Barry dismissed her concerns.

"I can help with that," Ronnie offered his services.

With no more room for discussion, Barry, Cisco, and Ronnie parted to gather the plans and materials in order to build the time machine.

* * *

Once all the preparations were complete, Barry stood outside the entrance to the pipeline, where he would be attempting to travel through time and save his mother from death.

Goodbyes were said with the insistence that no matter what timeline, they would always meet and become friends, no matter the circumstances.

"So, this is goodbye?" Caitlin asked.

"For you maybe," Barry said casually. "I'm probably going to be seeing a brand new version of you as soon as I get back,"

"Well if this is goodbye, there's some things I want to say," Caitlin told him. "I hated you when we first met. In fact I still don't like you to this day, but through it all I know you'll come through for me just like I'll always come through for you, so thank you,"

"Ehhh," Barry shrugged it off, acting as if he was contemplating whether he would actually do anything for her.

Caitlin just punched him in the shoulder in retaliation. "Jerk,"

Barry chuckled slightly at that. "I'm glad to have known you Ms. Frosty,"

"Ditto Fleet Feet. Don't let the new me disturb you too much. That's your future wife you're talking to," Caitlin teased him.

"I'm sure I'll love her no matter what," Barry smiled as he put on his cowl.

The goodbyes were over and he ran into the accelerator, waiting for the door to close behind him.

"Well," Thawne said from his cage above. "This is the moment we've all been waiting for. Run Barry. Run,"

With a determined look, Barry took off, running as fast as he could. He let all of his feelings go as he focused completely on running. To him, nothing else mattered in the moment. Everything he'd learned, all the effort put into increasing his speed for the past year, it all left him as he felt the pull of the Speed Force guiding him to go faster.

In the Cortex, the rest of the team was monitoring the screens to make sure everything was running smoothly.

Barry's speed was gradually increasing, the structural integrity of the accelerator was holding, despite the insane speed, and therefore friction, Barry was generating from running around in a circle.

A small rumble shook the building, which alarmed several of the inhabitants that something may have gone wrong.

"What's going on?" Joe asked. "Is Barry okay?"

Cisco took a look at a screen to see what may have caused the shake. "Yeah, he just passed mach 2," Cisco said in disbelief.

It was incredible. It didn't seem possible that Barry had already surpassed his previous records and he hadn't even been running for a full minute. And according to the speedometer, his speed was still increasing.

Barry's view of the accelerator shifted as soon as he passed the mark. His surroundings faded away as they turned into a blue tunnel with various images. Some he recognized, others he didn't. Like what was with that giant boot crashing from the ceiling?

Noticing Barry's attention straying away from the present, Eobard realized what was happening. "What you're seeing Barry is the Speed Force. Your past, present, and future all at once. So you need to focus on where you want to go. Think about your mother Barry. Think about that night,"

Barry tried to focus on the pivotal point of his entire life. The night his mother was killed, father was sentenced to prison, and he was shipped to the foster care system, but just moments before all that. As an image of Caitlin with stark white hair shooting icicles at a giant metal man faded away, he saw what he wanted.

His memories of that night never left him. He'd just come down from the stairs to see his mother in a tornado of red and yellow lightning. He needed to go there. Soon the images seemed to go on repeat as he witnessed the events happen again and again.

Prof. Stein reached for his cup of coffee, only to notice the fluids floating in the air, indicating it was time. "Inject the hydrogen particle now," he instructed.

Caitlin pressed a few buttons, and then a new image appeared alongside Barry in the opposite direction. The two travelled beside each other for a few moments before they crashed into each other and they both disappeared.

"Barry, he's gone," Caitlin said in a soft voice.

"A wormhole, and it's stable," Stein immediately noticed. "Start the countdown," There wasn't a second they could waste. Any moment they delayed meant risking a black hole that would destroy the Earth.

Meanwhile, Barry just arrived at his old house. He was in an empty room when he heard the familiar sounds of the two speedsters running and the sound of his mother crying out in fear.

Barry silently crept down the stairs to avoid detection from his other selves. If either one of them caught sight of him, who knew what repercussions that would have on the timeline.

Barry hid behind one of the doors and gently opened it to view what was happening to know when he would be able to get in and save his mother.

But at that moment, everything seemed to go still. His future self had knocked The Reverse Flash away for a brief second and looked his way as if he knew he was already there. His future version raised his hand and shook his head. The gesture was clear on what he meant. 'Don't interfere. You're not supposed to be here. Let things progress how they are supposed to,'

The interaction was only for a few brief seconds, even less in actual time, but so much was said between the two that no words were needed.

The Flash ran off just as he remembered and grabbed his younger self out of the house and rendered his father unconscious, leaving The Reverse Flash alone with his mother.

It didn't take long for the yellow clad speedster to grab a knife from the kitchen and stalk towards his mother.

With tears in his eyes, Barry came to a can't be stuck in the past. There's no going back, you just need to look towards a brighter future.

Still, it took all his willpower for him to not break down the door and tackle The Reverse Flash away from his mother, and he flinched when he heard the distinctive sound of the knife piercing into his mother's flesh.

When he heard the telltale sound of a speedster running, Barry knew it was clear to step out into the open. There was still one thing left to do. He needed closure.

Walking out, he noticed his father was still unconscious. He wished he could take him away, making it so he wouldn't be suspected of the murder, but he'd already promised himself that he wouldn't interfere more than he already had.

Going to where his mother was, he saw she was still alive, even if it was only for a few more moments. It was still long enough for him to do what he had to.

Bending down, he grabbed her shoulder as she was panting in desperation and fear as the life in her body slowly escaped its vessel. "Hey, hey. It's okay, you're going to be okay," he whispered. He didn't trust his voice enough to not break apart at seeing his mother like this.

"My husband, my son, are they…?" she gasped out. It warmed his heart that in her last moments of life, all she cared about were the people around her and not herself. He wished he got to know her more, before she was ripped from him.

"They're okay. They're both safe, I promise," he reassured her. His voice was cracking and tears were beginning to drip from his eyeholes. He didn't know how much more time he still had, but that didn't matter. He just needed to say all this to her before it was too late.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm…" Barry bowed his head. He was contemplating whether to tell his mother all this. About time travel and this world of the supernatural. "I'm The Flash," he decided.

"I don't understand," Nora shook her head in dismay. Confusion and fear in her eyes as she gazed at the unknown thing hovering over her.

Making a decision, Barry leans back, beginning to take off his cowl to reveal his face to his mother. He let out a gasp as he did. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. She probably wouldn't recognize him, but he still wanted her to know it was him, even if she would probably write this off as nothing but the hallucinations of a dying woman.

Taking a good look at the unmasked man, her eyes ran over his features. "You look just like my father," she commented on the similar facial features the man bore with her family.

Barry lets out a small laugh without any humour. "This won't make any sense, but it's me mom," Barry told her. "It's Barry,"

"Barry?" Nora looked up at the man with hope and happiness in her eyes. She couldn't believe that this man was her son. He was so beautiful.

"Your Barry," he confirmed.

"Oh, my beautiful boy," Nora cooed as she managed to raise a hand to grace his cheek as she took in who her son would become. He was everything she could hope he would be.

"I got a second chance to come back here and…" Barry took a shaking breath. This was all too much for him. He wanted to save her, he wanted to run to the hospital and pray that there was still time to save her, but he remembered his father's words, that she wouldn't want that, if it meant he wouldn't be able to live up to his potential.

"To tell you that I'm okay," he said what he always wanted to tell her. If he couldn't save her, he was going to let her know everything he ever wanted her to know. What she meant to both him and his dad.

"Dad and I are both okay," he continues to say. She just nodded along with him, taking his word for it. This was her son, she would trust him with all her heart that everything would turn out okay. "And we love you mom. I love you,"

Barry takes heavy breaths to settle his weeping. He wouldn't let his emotions take away time from his mother, to be able to finally say goodbye after all this time. There was time to sob later, right now this moment was all about her.

"Goodbye Barry," she whispers. Her arms failing her as their strength begins to fade away, her fingers becoming cold to the touch. "Goodbye," she mumbles her final farewell as her body goes limp, the light fading from her eyes as she dies right there.

"Mom?" Barry tentatively asks. He didn't want to believe their time had expired. How do you say goodbye to the mother you always wanted to meet? "Mom?" he shook her shoulders.

He was soon forced to the conclusion that she was already dead. His resolve faded away as he began to sob on his dead mother's body. It wasn't fair. Just a few moments ago she was well. She wasn't supposed to become a casualty in his rivalry with The Reverse Flash. She was never supposed to have gotten involved. But it was all because of him that she was gone. It was all his fault.

He didn't dare touch her face. In addition to the fact that he couldn't leave any evidence that he was here, he didn't want to interrupt the beauty of his mother right now. She looked so peaceful, and ignoring the bloody wound in her chest, she looked like an angel to him. He couldn't risk ruining this image of her for him.

He didn't know how long he would have stayed there, weeping over the death of his mother again, this time actually witnessing the deed. He could have spent an eternity there and it still wouldn't have been enough time, but he had to leave. The wormhole would be closing soon, and without it, he didn't know how else he would return back home to where he actually belonged.

* * *

"I guess this is it, huh? It's been a pleasure working with you both." Thawne said to Cisco and Caitlin while standing near his time capsule.

"Don't ever come back." Cisco said with such distaste.

"I never told you this Cisco but in a way, you have shown me what it's like to have a son."

"You did say that to me, in a timeline Barry erased. That was right before you killed me," Cisco glared at him.

"Well I can't say I'm sorry about that. I probably had my reasons," Thawne shook off his hate.

"Get out of here already," Caitlin demanded.

Thawne raised his hands in a placating fashion before he stepped up to the machine and turned it on. It began to float and head towards the wormhole before them. "Home," he whispered to himself with a longing tone in his voice.

But there was a subtle irregularity with it. It was moving in a strange fashion that wasn't natural. It was almost as if something was…

Barry shot out of the wormhole and collided with the time capsule, shattering it to pieces.

Caitlin and Cisco scrambled out of there the moment they saw something was going on. Caitlin didn't realize it, but she had the hints of a smile on her face once she saw the irregularity was Barry. That meant he didn't save his mother. That he decided to stay with her-THEM! She meant 'them'.

Groaning at the pain, the two speedsters slowly raised to their feet, staring at each other. One in hatred, the other in disgust. "You didn't save her?" Thawne asked. "Why? You could've had everything you ever wanted!"

"I already do," Barry simply said.

Glaring at him, Thawne put on his cowl and immediately began to vibrate his entire body, his eyes glowing red from the lightning behind them. "Not for long,"

Eying the other for a moment longer, the two sprung into action, not taking any notice of the wormhole behind them that, if left alone, would cause the end of the world and beyond.

The two ran around the accelerator, each trying to gain the upper hand. Unfortunately, experience won out in the end as Thawne managed to get Barry in a chokehold, pinned to the wall.

"Just so we're clear. After I kill you, I'm going to kill them," Thawne gestured in the direction of the Cortex, indicating the rest of the team. "And then I'm going to kill your father. I always win Flash!" Thawne raised his right hand, all set to vibrate into his chest and rip out his heart.

The sound of a gunshot rang throughout the large room as it was revealed the owner of the gun, was also the victim. Eddie had shot himself in the chest.

Everyone was in shock as nobody knew what was going on through his head to commit suicide. Iris screamed out his name and Joe ran down to assess his partner. "Eddie! What did you do? What did you do?!"

"No such thing as a coincidence," Eddie mumbled to him with a smile on his face.

"What's happening?" Barry asked in confusion. As Eddie slipped further into death's grasp, The Reverse Flash was vibrating erratically, as if he had no control of himself anymore. Barry had no idea what was going on.

"Cisco, help me," The Reverse Flash gasped out. Nothing seemed wrong with him, but something was obviously wrong if he was begging for help.

Cisco soon came to the realization of what was going on. "Eddie is his ancestor. If Eddie dies, he'll never be born and…" Cisco took a look at the man, only to see a shock. The Reverse Flash was no longer vibrating and his face could be clearly seen. Only it wasn't the face they had come to recognize. It was entirely different. His disguise was fading away as he was becoming non-existent. "He's being erased from existence."

Iris was quick to arrive as she cradled the man she loves in her arms, pleading with him that he wouldn't leave her.

"Eddie! Stay with me, okay? Please, stay with me. I love you!" Iris said while holding the love of her life as he slowly died in her arms.

"He was wrong, it turns out," Eddie mumbled. "I'm a hero after all,"

"You are Eddie. You are my hero," Iris sobbed as her fiance was dying in her arms.

"That's all I wanted to be. Your hero," Eddies whispered before he choked on his blood. It was soon followed by his death as his blank stare would forever be left gazing at nothing.

With Eddie now officially dead, the timeline soon caught up to the present. Glowing cracks could be seen appearing on Eobard's body as he was slowly being erased from existence.

With nothing left to lose, Eobard turned to face Barry one last time, just to taunt him. "I've controlled your life for so long Barry. How will you get along without me?"

With that, Eobard's body completely dissipated, no evidence left that he was even there as the timeline fixed itself to make it so he was never born.

Through it all, nobody noticed the wormhole slowly gaining in size, but with the shift in the time stream due to the elimination of an entire family line that was supposed to go on to do great things, it became too much for the tear in time and space to handle.

The wormhole was ripping apart everything in its path. It was no longer stable enough to remain in the building. It would eat away the entire planet and whatever else it could find afterward.

Everyone who was in the accelerator was quick to notice the growing danger. They just couldn't catch a break today. But then again, they brought this upon themselves. They did this knowing the risks, and now they were paying for it.

Iris didn't want to leave Eddie behind. Even though he was dead, she refused to leave his body for the wormhole to take.

Joe was forced to pry her away from the corpse as the pull of the wormhole grew so much, it carried the dead body into its centre, reducing it to ash.

Everyone ran outside as the wormhole's instability caused it to become a singularity, escaping from STAR Labs and forming over the entire city. It would destroy everything.

"So that's what we didn't want to happen," Cisco commented on the gigantic mistake.

"The singularity won't stop, even after the Earth is gone," Prof. Stein informed them of the power of the singularity.

"How do we stop it?" Caitlin prayed for an answer. If they didn't manage to close it, life as everyone knew it would be gone.

"I'm afraid the accretion disk has already assembled." Stein said with regret.

"What?" Joe turned to him, not understanding a word he just said.

"Diffused material that's in orbital motion around the singularity." Stein tried to explain what was going on, maybe provide someone with an idea of what to do.

"What does that mean?" Caitlin asked, still not understanding how any of this was helping.

"We have to disrupt the motion," Barry came up with a plan. "Basically it's just like the tornado only upside down, and bigger, and scarier." Barry referenced the first thing he ever did as The Flash.

"Barry, that event has an energy level of at least 6.7 teraelectron-volts. It cannot be stopped!" Stein warned him from doing anything drastic.

"I have to try," Barry shook his head. He had to try everything he could to stop it. If he didn't he was already dead along with everything in the world.

Placing his cowl back on, ignoring the irritation it caused with all his wounds, Barry looked to his team for what may be the final time.

His gaze lingered on Caitlin for just a moment longer. He tried to express how much he actually cared for her and how sorry he was about everything between them.

Turning around he looked up at the black hole that was tearing apart his city. Preparing himself for the run of his life, he felt the sparks behind his eyes, the lightning coursing through his veins. This was all or nothing.

Shooting forward, he headed towards the tallest building in the city, trying to get as close to the singularity as he could before he would be forced to rely on what was in the air.

All around the city, everyone looked towards the streak of lightning heading straight to the singularity. Their last hope of survival. The majority of them hoped he could actually do something against this event.

A small minority though were filled with dread of what he would have to do if he were to have a chance to even stop it.

Caitlin looked up to see the lightning bolt running up the side of the building that was closest to the black hole. Worry filled her entire being. Tears were in her eyes. At that moment, she didn't care about the rest of them. Her sole focus was on the man, who she had despised for over a year and had become one of her closest companions, risking his life. She just wished she didn't spend so much time hating him for nothing but a simple misunderstanding between them. But all else, she wished he was here so she could actually say it to him and not about to jump into a black hole.

Barry had to stay focused. He couldn't afford any mistakes. He was running along the side of a building, avoiding any debris that was making its way into the giant hole in the sky.

Once he reached the end of the building, it was that debris he relied upon now to bring him closer. He couldn't stop. He had to keep his momentum going. He jumped from one rubble to the next, not stopping for a moment.

He'd reached the outer shell of the singularity, but if he was going to have any chance to stop it, he needed to get deeper. He needed to go into the belly of the beast.

With that, he jumped into the hole with the hope of the entire world resting on his shoulders.

* * *

**That's all folks. Season one is officially over and I hope you all enjoyed. I'm going to be taking a break this week so unfortunately I won't be uploading next week. Possibly the week after but we'll see how long this little hiatus of mine will last. Don't worry, I fully intend to see this through and will return for season two in the following weeks.**

**Until then, post a comment on your thoughts. Anything specific you'd like to see in the next season. Maybe any questions about my writing process, I'm all ears and I will respond to you as quickly as possible. See you all in the future.**


	12. Season 2

**Hello everyone. Sorry to inform all of you, but this is not an update. More of a sneak peek. I haven't gotten to where I want to be yet, so I'll be taking the next week to continue working, but I decided not to leave you all in the dark so much so I've decided to give you little pieces of what I think are some of the best scenes I've produced for season 2, but you be the judge of that.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of The Arrowverse**

* * *

"I tried to! If I could have, I would have saved him," Barry protested.

"But you didn't!" Caitlin yelled. "You make us think we can trust you to do something and you just let us down when it matters,"

* * *

"The people of Central City just want a chance to thank the hero that saved them," Cisco tried to convince him.

"Well they can't do that because that's not me. I'm the one that endangered them in the first place and let other people pay for my mistake," Barry said.

"That's not you Barry. Sure you made a mistake, but you're human. You're allowed to make mistakes, and you did everything in your power to fix your mistakes. You saved a lot of people," Cisco called out to him.

"But not the people that matter. I couldn't save them Cisco," Barry referred to their fallen friends.

"You can't save everyone Barry. That's just part of being a hero. Sometimes one needs to be sacrificed for the good of others," Cisco tried to comfort him.

"Well that one should have been me," Barry shook his head.

* * *

"I am not a hero," Barry stated. "That's not what I set out to become. That is who you have made me out to be. I didn't do this for fame or glory, but I hope I can become the hero you all deserve. Being a hero is about doing what's right just because it's right. By putting other people before yourself no matter what. It's about making a difference. That's what I strive to be,"

* * *

"So I've been moonlighting as a hero. There's your answer. Don't let the door hit you on the way out," Caitlin pointed to the door Barry entered.

"I think it's great that you decided to use your powers to help other people," Barry voiced his opinion.

"Well if I wanted your opinion, I would have asked for it. I'm not trying to be a hero with the entire world looking at me. That's why I've stayed in the shadows," Caitlin said.

"You know, between you and me, I wish I had my secrecy back, before people knew about The Flash," Barry pointed out.

"Oh boo hoo. The poor superhero doesn't want fame and glory and people screaming their name everywhere they go," Caitlin said sarcastically.

"Well, it is nice to be appreciated, but apparently I'm just an arrogant jerk whose ego is being fuelled by having their own holiday." Barry referenced what she said to Cisco.

* * *

"In celebration of change I've added a little something to the suit," Cisco said when he returned. Lighting up the closet revealed the Flash suit, but with a little difference. Before, the background of the lightning bolt on the symbol was red, just like the rest of the suit. But now it has changed into something familiar. The background was white just like they saw in the newspaper and when Barry saw his future self.

"It's just like the one in the future newspaper. I figured, we don't need to fear the future," Cisco explained.

"That's really nice Cisco. In fact I had the same thoughts which is why-" Barry started to say.

"You're finally asking Cait out on a date?" Cisco interrupted him, remembering Gideon saying the duo were married in the future.

* * *

"Behind my brother's back?" Iris shouted at her.

"What are you talking about?" Caitlin asked, confused at what Iris was getting at.

"You, and this Jay guy," Iris pointed at the two. "That isn't supposed to happen. You are Barry are supposed to fall in love and get married and give me a couple nieces and nephews,"

"You are looking way too far into the future," Caitlin waved her off.

"So you admit it's going to happen," Iris stated, confidently.

"No, Barry and I are never going to happen. I don't know why everyone thinks we are, but we aren't," Caitlin firmly stated. "Let me make this clear, Barry Allen is the most arrogant, self-righteous man that believes he is the answer to the whole entire universe. The day I even consider being romantically attracted to him, is right next to the month of 'Never Going to Happen,' and the week before 'Pigs Fly,'"

* * *

"He won't leave his cell, not unless I need him to," Caitlin said. "While you're there can you get me a-"

"A medium vanilla latte with no milk," Barry said.

"No, that's my Monday order. Today I get-"

"A large cappuccino, no foam. Right," Barry corrected himself, as both he and Cisco made their way out of STAR Labs.

* * *

Caitlin just glared at the barista. "I swear if you are about to say the man behind me is my significant other, I will scream,"

The barista blinked once. Twice. Thrice. Her mouth opened. "He's not?"

"Ughhh!" Caitlin groaned. She tilted her head back and squeezed her eyes in frustration. "Why does everyone keep thinking that?"

"Maybe it's because it's so obvious you two should be together,"

"In case you haven't noticed he seems pretty occupied with his pretty little blonde over there so obviously he's not interested in me," Caitlin said as she was forced to stay for the rest of her order to arrive.

"Do you want him to be?" the barista, Hillary, asked.

"I don't care. He can like whoever he wants. I'm not going to stand in the way of his good time," Caitlin said, a little more anger in her tone than she meant.

"What if his idea of a good time is spending it with you?" Hillary asked.

Caitlin just scoffed at the idea of Barry actually wanting to spend time with her and vice versa. "Please, now I know you are delusional to think that,"

"Well, this is just my opinion, but I think he really likes you," Hillary said as she dropped off the last of Caitlin's orders on the counter.

* * *

**Is everybody excited? I know I am, and I promise 'I Hate You, I Guess That's Love' will return next week on Friday May 22.**


	13. New Hope

**We're back! Season Two people! I hope the wait wasn't too long, but promise granted, it's May 22nd. The beginning of season two. This season is going to be much longer with more hints to the Snowbarry relationship that I have promised, but we're not going to get there quite yet. All the same, I promise at least one of them will have realized their feelings by the end of the season.**

**As always I love the support I have for my readers and I couldn't have done any this without you. My co-authors have been a big help. Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen.**

**Disclaimer: I have no rights to The Arrowverse.**

* * *

Barry was running around the inside of the singularity. Jumping from debris to keep his momentum going. He may be extremely fast, but he couldn't fly.

"Barry, keep doing what you're doing, it's working," Cisco yelled into his earpiece.

"I can't run forever," Barry mumbled, hoping they could hear him. He had to save as much energy as he could to keep up this level of running. Sooner or later, he would make a mistake. His body would fatigue and he wouldn't be able to make that one jump, or he would run out of things to propel himself.

Barry didn't know how long he'd been running or how much longer he could continue, all he knew was if they didn't come up with something to close the giant hole soon, he'd be falling out of the sky. He was already running on fumes.

Soon Barry felt an immense heat, and it wasn't the burn he was feeling from his body.

Taking a look around, he saw Firestorm flying into the eye of the hole, just above him. "Ronnie, Professor," he said under his breath. He had no idea what they were doing.

The fire meta had a look of forlorn as they slowly reached for the splicer on their chest. Barry immediately knew what they were planning. They were hoping the energy from their separation would be enough to disrupt the singularity to finally close it, but then they wouldn't be able to escape the resulting explosion. "No!" he shouted.

Wasting no time, Firestorm ripped the splicer off their chest, forcing a separation between the two. The reaction was immediate. The energy caused the singularity to collapse in on itself before the heroes were ejected and fell out of the sky.

Barry let himself free fall for a few moments, trying to locate the two heroes who saved Central City. He caught sight of a man with white hair falling a few feet away, and directed himself accordingly to catch him.

Once Barry had Stein in his arms he pulled on his last reserves of energy to run down the side of a building.

When they reached the ground, Barry propped Stein against another building before turning around to try to find Ronnie as well. He hoped he wasn't too late yet and could possibly save him.

That hope was crushed when he looked up to see the rubble that was pulled up fall down like rain and another explosion to signal the singularity disappearing.

Frantic, Barry looked everywhere with his speedster brain, trying to find anything that could look like the body of the other half of Firestorm, but alas, no such luck.

The rest of Team Flash ran up to them. When they saw Stein on the ground, Joe and Cisco immediately went to help him up.

Caitlin stayed behind to take a look around, hoping she was just missing something. "Where's Ronnie?" she asked with sadness and a little bit of anger in her tone.

"Caitlin…" Barry honestly felt sorry for her. They had only gotten married that day, and already the groom was dead.

Caitlin shoved him back, panting loudly in despair. "Don't give me that, where is he Barry?"

"Caitlin…" Barry tried to say. He didn't know how to break it to her that he couldn't save him. He didn't want to explain how he let Ronnie die for a second time.

Caitlin just slapped him across the face before he could continue. She was having none of it. "Where is he?!" she demanded to know.

Her anger and despair fuelling her powers as her fingers left a healthy coating of frost and ice on him that continued to spread.

Her transformation was beginning as her eyes began to glow an eerie white. Her skin was turning even more pale than usual.

Barry scraped off the ice before it could become dangerous. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

He moved to offer her a hug, he felt this situation was one of the few rare ones that deserved one of the two reaching out to offer help.

Caitlin just let out a sharp breath which consisted of her powers. The mist washed over his feet, leaving them encased in ice and stuck where he was.

"Leave me alone Barry," Caitlin glared at him. "You didn't save him."

"I tried to! If I could have, I would have saved him," Barry protested.

"But you didn't!" Caitlin yelled. "You make us think we can trust you to do something and you just let us down when it matters,"

"I didn't ask for him to sacrifice himself. That was his decision to make to save the city," Barry defended himself.

"From the mistake you made! If you just never agreed to anything Thawne said, none of this would happen. Ronnie and Eddie wouldn't have had to sacrifice themselves because you decided to let The Reverse Flash go. If you decided to change the timeline when you already left, none of this would ever exist," Caitlin pointed out.

"We all agreed to do this. You said you would support my decision no matter what I decided," Barry reminded her.

"Well your decision was to change the timeline. Excuse me if you didn't notify us of a change of plans when you decided to let your mother die," Caitlin shouted out.

"You think that was an easy decision to make?!" Barry cried out. "I have to live with the fact I decided to let my mother die. It was my decision not to save her,"

"Then I guess we all lost something today," Caitlin continued to glare at him. "Do me a favour. Stay away from me. Don't even think of coming anywhere near me. Just stay the hell away from me," she demanded before she walked away from everyone.

Nobody was sure when they would see her again, but they all knew to leave her to her space. She would reach out to them when she was ready.

* * *

Barry was at Jitters, trying to rebuild what's left from the black hole that wrecked the city. That was when Cisco suddenly came up to him while he was rebuilding.

"You know, I heard a rumour that The Flash is rebuilding the city at night, you think he can fix the leakage in my apartment?" Cisco jokingly asked but Barry was having none of it.

"What do you want, Cisco?"

Cisco pulled out a sheet of paper from his back pocket and showed it to him. "Did you see this?" he gestured to the paper, which was revealed to be a poster for tomorrow's new holiday. Flash Appreciation Day.

"Yeah," Barry confirmed he knew about the celebration before turning around to continue fixing the broken coffee shop.

"Is The Flash going to make an appearance?" Cisco asked him.

"Why should I, Cisco? There's no reason for me to be there," Barry shook his head.

"The people of Central City just want a chance to thank the hero that saved them," Cisco tried to convince him.

"Well they can't do that because that's not me. I'm the one that endangered them in the first place and let other people pay for my mistake," Barry said.

"That's not you Barry. Sure you made a mistake, but you're human. You're allowed to make mistakes, and you did everything in your power to fix your mistakes. You saved a lot of people," Cisco called out to him.

"But not the people that matter. I couldn't save them Cisco," Barry referred to their fallen friends.

"You can't save everyone Barry. That's just part of being a hero. Sometimes one needs to be sacrificed for the good of others," Cisco tried to comfort him.

"Well that one should have been me," Barry shook his head.

"Why do you have to be such a hero about this?" Cisco mumbled. "Look, if you won't go for yourself, go for all the people you've saved this past year. They deserve to thank their hero,"

"I got things I need to sort out. I've been working on something," Barry dismissed him.

"You haven't done anything to my suit have you?" Cisco demanded.

"I thought we established that it is _our _suit, and no, I haven't changed it or anything. I'm talking about a personal project," Barry eased his concerns.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait until after you've received the key to the city from the mayor." Cisco said.

"I'll see you around Cisco," Barry bid his goodbye.

"You heard from Caitlin recently?" Cisco called out to him, bringing his attention back to the conversation.

"Not since that day. Have you?" Barry asked with interest in his eyes and genuine concern about their former teammate.

"I got a text a few weeks ago when they announced they were doing this whole 'Flash Day' celebration. Something along the lines of '_As if the arrogant jerk needs anything else to fuel his massive ego.'_"

Barry silently laughed and his lips turned upward, showing his amusement at the ice meta. "Well I guess people just appreciate me more thanks to everything I've done,"

"No, stop that. I am not going to be your messenger for your arguments. If you want to talk to her, find her yourself," Cisco lightly scolded him.

"So have you heard about…?" Barry trailed off, hoping Cisco understood what he was talking about.

"Yeah, I have. And it looks like her, but could just be someone else. Could be something to talk about when you find her," Cisco said.

Barry shook his head. "I don't know man,"

Cisco put his hand on Barry's shoulder, offering his comfort. "Just take it one day at a time. See where it goes from there,"

With that, Cisco finally left Barry to his peace to decide what he would do.

* * *

In the morning, practically the whole city was gathered in the park to celebrate The Flash Day Festival where hopefully their scarlet speedster would make an appearance. Regardless of whether he would show or not, people were enjoying their time there, sharing stories of their personal experiences with the resident superhero.

Cisco had been wandering around, looking at a few familiar faces. He saw Stein and his wife, along with Joe and Iris. But what really caught him by surprise was the face of his best friend. The one he hadn't heard from for months. There was Caitlin Snow, standing at the edge of the crowd, isolating herself.

Cisco didn't have any time to react to it as the mayor was making his way to the podium set up.

The mayor was making a speech about the fact that for the past few months, they'd all been witnesses to the impossible. People who somehow managed to defy the laws of physics. But through all the bad that happened, they got something even better. The Flash.

"We would like to present this, the key to the city, for The Flash. We were hoping that he would make an appearance." he said.

Everyone took a moment to look around. Maybe the hero was hiding among them right now. Or perhaps they could catch a glimpse of his lightning trail or hear the sound of the winding blowing past them as he ran.

It only lasted for a few seconds before a streak of lightning weaved through the crowd and stopped on the podium.

Everyone cheered when they saw him. They had so much to thank him for after the past year. For everything they heard and all the things they had no idea about during his times with the mask off.

Mayor Bellows approached the red clad speedster and presented him with the key. "Thank you Flash,"

Barry simply nodded his head before grasping the metal object in his hand. The mayor gestured for The Flash to head to the microphone, where he could say a few words. He was sure everyone would appreciate it.

Barry tried to reject, but soon everyone was clamouring for him to take the stand. Barry could have gotten out of there without anyone knowing until it was too late, something compelled him to speak.

Adjusting the microphone, Barry made sure he kept his vocal cords vibrating so nobody would recognize him just in case.

"When I first learned of my powers, I didn't know what to do. I just knew I had been given a gift and I couldn't let it be a waste," Barry began his speech.

"I started my crusade upon the discovery of others just like me. People who could achieve the impossible. But not all of them were willing to use their new abilities for the benefit of others. I knew what I had to do. I had to stop them."

"I am not a hero," Barry stated. "That's not what I set out to become. That is who you have made me out to be. I didn't do this for fame or glory, but I hope I can become the hero you all deserve. Being a hero is about doing what's right just because it's right. By putting other people before yourself no matter what. It's about making a difference. That's what I strive to be,"

Suddenly a panic broke out. A man in the crowd had suddenly grown to a large size. He was making his way towards the podium, trying to get to The Flash. He wasn't taking into account the many smaller people in front of him and most of them ended up being injured.

Barry was quick to grab as many of them as he could and bring them out of harm's way.

As soon as he was able, he focused all his attention on the giant meta. He had no idea what their problem was, but they caused many people to be injured for no reason.

When the meta was making its way towards Joe and Cisco, Barry immediately body slammed him, knocking him down and bringing the giant man's attention back to him.

Barry tried to assess what he could do. This would be the same as Grodd. He had no particular advantage over this guy. He would have to use his surroundings to his advantage then.

Taking a look around, he noticed a few canisters of gasoline. Gaining an idea, he grabbed one in each hand. With all his strength, he launched them at the giant. At the last second, he vibrates his hand to charge up the electricity. Once he stored enough, he threw it, aiming for the canisters.

The electricity ignited the gasoline within and resulted in a massive explosion that sent everyone to the ground.

When the smoke cleared, it revealed that the giant was gone. He must have reverted back to his regular form and escaped in the crowd.

Barry had no idea how he was going to try to track him down, but he supposed a giant man would be very easy to spot if he were to attack once again.

* * *

Barry was currently alone in STAR Labs. After the entire singularity incident and announcing that Harrison Wells was dead, Barry had inherited all of Wells' assets. That included his home, his bank accounts, but most importantly STAR Labs. Barry was now the owner of a multimillion dollar company.

It reminded Barry of what they had learned in the Time Vault, where Gideon revealed that he and Caitlin would be running STAR Facilities. In the meantime, there was a lot he had to do before that would ever happen.

Barry was trying to come up with a plan on how to take down this man. He had to have a weak point, but he'd replayed the entire battle in his head several times and he couldn't find any opening he could have exploited.

Barry was so preoccupied with his thoughts, he didn't hear the notice of the silent alarm he programmed that someone had entered STAR Labs without clearance.

It was lucky he'd heard the footsteps coming through the hall, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to hide everything that could indicate he was The Flash.

The person coming up behind him was a lawyer and apparently he was here on behalf of Wells' will. He informed Barry that he was indeed set to inherit everything just as he had been informed. But it had come with a condition. He was to watch a video Wells had created by the end of the week, otherwise the firm he represented would enclose everything.

The man handed Barry a USB drive with the video and would notify them that he had watched the video once he did.

Barry just held the drive in his hand as the man walked away, his business concluded. Now it was all in the hands of Barry. Whether he chose to take it or not was his decision.

Barry knew he would have to watch the video. There was no question about it, but he couldn't bring himself to do it just yet. Even after several months, and being erased from existence, Wells was still manipulating him. He just couldn't get away from him.

Deciding he had plenty of time, Barry pocketed the drive and headed out. There was something he needed to do.

* * *

Walking into Mercury Labs was fairly easy. Barry and Dr. McGee was on good terms and she allowed him access to the labs that weren't restricted to only employees.

There was someone here he needed to see and that was his former teammate.

Barry soon found Caitlin hunched over a lab bench studying something. He had no idea what it was, but that didn't concern him right now.

Barry cleared his voice, making it clear to Caitlin that someone was behind her. She turned around and was met face to face with Barry.

For a moment, they didn't do anything, simply taking each other in. They hadn't seen each other for months. There was an air of familiarity, but it was overpowered by the awkwardness of their time apart.

Finally, it was Caitlin who broke the ice. "I thought I told you not to come anywhere near me?"

"Well, I saw you at the Flash Day Parade and figured that meant you were finally ready to start talking again," Barry voiced his reasons.

"I went to make a point, one that doesn't concern you," Caitlin argued.

"Well if it's at my parade, I think that gives me cause to be concerned," Barry said.

"Just drop it Barry. What are you doing here?" Caitlin demanded to know.

"So I heard about some rumblings of a new vigilante in town. Apparently they've been making some quick work in the underground world. The crime scene is always left as a winter wonderland." Barry said to her. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"

"So I've been moonlighting as a hero. There's your answer. Don't let the door hit you on the way out," Caitlin pointed to the door Barry entered.

"I think it's great that you decided to use your powers to help other people," Barry voiced his opinion.

"Well if I wanted your opinion, I would have asked for it. I'm not trying to be a hero with the entire world looking at me. That's why I've stayed in the shadows," Caitlin said.

"You know, between you and me, I wish I had my secrecy back, before people knew about The Flash," Barry pointed out.

"Oh boo hoo. The poor superhero doesn't want fame and glory and people screaming their name everywhere they go," Caitlin said sarcastically.

"Well, it is nice to be appreciated, but apparently I'm just an arrogant jerk whose ego is being fuelled by having their own holiday." Barry referenced what she said to Cisco.

"Cisco talked to you? I should have known he would open his mouth and talk," Caitlin grumbled.

Barry sighed, getting down to the real reason he came to find her. "The reason I came here was to say I'm sorry. I don't deserve any of this stuff people are doing. We both know who the real heroes that day were,"

"I heard your little speech at the parade. You really don't deserve all these things people are doing. A whole day dedicated to you, a parade, the key to the city. I think it's blowing this stuff way out of proportion," Caitlin said.

"Thank you for summing that up," Barry replied.

"You know, I heard they're making a drink at Jitters with your name on it," Caitlin mentioned.

"Really?" Barry said in surprise. It shocked Barry how much people were doing in his name.

"Look Barry, I don't care what you think of yourself. You could hate yourself and… that would actually be pretty gratifying," Caitlin cut herself off.

Barry just scoffed and sent her a look to just get to the point already.

"What matters is what other people think of you. And to the people of Central City, you are their hero. So just be their hero." Caitlin said.

"I thought you would have been furious. You were so angry that day, you slapped me, froze me on the spot, and left without a word for months," Barry said. "Why aren't you blowing up at me right now?"

"After these past few months I've calmed down a bit. The fact is, Ronnie only returned for such a short time, the fact he was back was still setting in. And then he was gone again. I guess I ran out of tears to cry," Caitlin said.

"You deserve to be happy, Cait. I wouldn't wish my worst enemy having to part with the love of their life twice," Barry said.

"The thing is, there's only one person I blame for what happened to Ronnie that day, and it isn't you." Caitlin said. "I blame myself. When Ronnie came back the first time, he offered to take us away from everything but I refused. I said no because I didn't want to leave all this behind,"

Caitlin started to tear up. Barry noticed this and brought out a handkerchief in his pocket that also contained the USB.

"Oh, you carry a hanky now? What are you, 50?" Caitlin lightly teased him, but accepted it all the same.

"Well at least I'm not a senile old woman with nothing but my work to keep me occupied Ms. Frosty," Barry retorted.

"Says the guy with a hero complex who waits for trouble in order to save the day Fleet Feet," Caitlin shot back.

"Hey, I'm rich now. You can't talk to me like that," Barry lightly scolded her and reminded her he had complete control over everything STAR related.

In their argument, Barry dropped the USB to the ground where it made a loud sound. It brought both of their attention to it, where Barry soon picked it up.

"What is that?" Caitlin asked.

"Wells apparently had a living will. In order for me to get everything he left me, I need to watch this video he created for me," Barry informed her.

"So you're not rich," Caitlin stated.

"Not yet. I'm going to watch it eventually, I just haven't picked up the courage to," Barry said, rolling his eyes.

"What if we watch it together?" Caitlin suggested.

Barry nodded in thanks. Caitlin wouldn't be his first option to share this moment with, but the two of them still cared deeply for each other, even if they won't admit it. This was a moment meant to be shared with those closest to you.

They plugged in the USB into a computer and the video began to play. On it, Wells' face appeared. He began to talk. Explaining about all the things he's done for the past 15 years, about how after all this time he's learned to care for him. But despite all that, he said that Barry was never happy, and he would never be happy.

Barry didn't know how much longer he could stand to continue watching Wells' smug expression. He just wanted to punch something, but he knew he had to let this all play out.

Near the end of the recording, Wells told him to erase everything he said up to this point. "Give the following video to the police," he said.

What he said afterward shocked Barry to his core. He was confessing. The murder of his mother, he explained everything he'd done that night to the letter. This was it. This was what was going to get his father out of jail. He didn't like the thought of being indebted to The Reverse Flash, but if he could get his father out of jail, it would all be worth it.

Barry turned to face Caitlin and grinned. He was truly happy at that moment.

* * *

Barry had done what was needed to make sure the video was legible before submitting it to the police station. He made sure to take away anything that could have indicated he was The Flash.

The DA was still deciding what to do, but it was looking very likely his father would be able to get out of prison by tomorrow morning at the earliest.

While that was going on, the team had reformed to try to take down the new metahuman, Atom Smasher, dubbed by Prof. Stein.

They had a plan on how to stop him. Barry had his reserves about it though. "We are going to kill him?" Barry voiced his concerns.

"We don't have any other way to stop him. Our technology just isn't advanced enough that we can safely restrain him. And even if we do, we don't have anywhere to put him. He'd break out of any place we'd put him." Cisco said.

"Yeah, but killing him? That's a little extreme," Caitlin said, as this was one of the few topics the speedster and ice witch were in agreement with.

"The fact is, we don't have many options. We can't just wait to catch him, and we can't wait for technology to advance further. We need to stop him now, and we don't have any other way to do it," Cisco argued.

The two metahumans were reluctant, but in the end, they were forced to go along with the plan. They just didn't have any options when faced with someone like this.

The team discovered the meta feeds on radiation. The more he absorbed, the more power he wielded, and with radiation everywhere these days with the constant use of technology, the meta had a ready supply at his fingertips.

The plan was to test the limits of how much he could absorb by locking him in a room where they would release dangerous levels of radiation. The end result would lead to his death.

The plan worked like a charm. They managed to draw Atom Smasher out of hiding and allowed him to chase Barry to a facility where they implemented their plan.

Once it was safe to enter, Barry kneeled down next to the dying meta. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "But I couldn't let you terrorize anymore people,"

"It's fine. I'm dead either way," the man mumbled. "He won't stop,"

"Who?" Barry asked.

The man managed to take off his helmet to look into Barry's eyes as he said his final words. "Zoom," he said, and with that, his body fell limp.

Barry had no idea what or who he was talking about, but he just knew he had to be careful. If a man of his calibre felt his life was threatened by this 'Zoom', he knew he would have to be cautious if he ever met this thing.

* * *

The next day, Barry was waiting outside the prison where his father would be released and he would be taking him home where a party was arranged to celebrate Henry's freedom.

After the party, Henry revealed to Barry that he didn't want to stay in Central City. After being in lockup for the past 15 years, he needed to get out and truly experience his freedom with the knowledge that he could go anywhere he pleases. And he didn't want to hold Barry back by being here and constantly serving as nothing but a distraction.

After dropping his father at the train station where Henry could now decide on his own path, Barry made his way back to STAR Labs, which had now officially become his.

"In celebration of change I've added a little something to the suit," Cisco said when he returned. Lighting up the closet revealed the Flash suit, but with a little difference. Before, the background of the lightning bolt on the symbol was red, just like the rest of the suit. But now it has changed into something familiar. The background was white just like they saw in the newspaper and when Barry saw his future self.

"It's just like the one in the future newspaper. I figured, we don't need to fear the future," Cisco explained.

"That's really nice Cisco. In fact I had the same thoughts which is why-" Barry started to say.

"You're finally asking Cait out on a date?" Cisco interrupted him, remembering Gideon saying the duo were married in the future.

"You are?" Iris asked with an elated expression. At long last, her brother would have someone who could actually keep up with him and Iris thought Caitlin would be a decent girlfriend.

"You better not be," Caitlin warned him away from even thinking about it.

"No!" Barry shouted. "Nothing like that. I'm talking about opening STAR up to the public,"

"You're doing what now?" Joe asked.

"I'm making STAR an operational company again," Barry announced.

"But, what's going to happen to this place?" Cisco asked nervously.

"STAR Labs will be closed forever. I inherited everything from Wells, including STAR Labs, but there are just too many government regulations on this place that it just isn't worth it to try to open to the public again." Barry explained.

"The STAR brand however is going to continue on. STAR had other facilities placed around the country as well. When the accelerator exploded and Wells' name was dragged through the mud, he was forced to shut them down. But now since STAR is under new management I've been allowed to start them back up again. I've already rehired a few employees and managers to keep these other facilities in check, but I get final decision in all matters, as well as profits that come in from them," Barry explained.

"STAR Labs will remain to serve as our base of operations for The Flash as well as being my office and personal lab for everything STAR related." he concluded.

A notification on the computer stole everyone's attention as it alerted them that the silent alarm had been tripped. Using the new security system they installed, they were able to locate the intruder in no time.

Barry donned his new suit and grabbed the person before putting him in a cell in the Pipeline.

"Well, you sure know how to make an introduction," the man casually said, as if being whisked away by a speedster was a common occurrence for him.

"Who are you?" Barry demanded.

The man raised his hands in a placating sense. "My name is Jay Garrick. And I was The Flash,"

* * *

**So a lot of changes from season two. We've seen the beginnings of Barry becoming CEO of STAR. That's not going to impact much of the storyline, but it's just something I'm gonna add a few times to help the main storyline along.**

**Caitlin has now become a vigilante. She's going to help with some of the metas but only those that I feel would have been much easier if she tagged along. The bantering between Caitlin and Barry are going to remain consistent throughout the story. I mean, that's one of the main reasons this story is as popular as it is. But they will have lessened. As well as the main topic for their arguments. Last season, it was all about them not liking each other. Anyone care to guess what these new arguments are going to be about?**

**So I hope everyone is excited and likes where I'm taking this story so far and will continue to see to it. I'm not sure where I'm going to finally finish this story. Just until I've finally run out of ideas I suppose.**

**Tell me what you thought and any questions you may have for me. I'll see you all next week.**


	14. Bitter Rivals

**Sorry it's a little later than usual, but here we go. The next episode in our favourite couple's lives. Thank you everyone who's expressed their interest in the story. I'll take them all no matter your reasons. Special thanks to my co-authors Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen.**

**Disclaimer: The Flash is not mine.**

* * *

There was arguing in the Cortex, and this time, it wasn't just between Barry and Caitlin.

"What are we going to do about this Jay guy?" Cisco asked.

"We talk with him, figure out what he's doing here, but he stays in the Pipeline," Barry ordered.

"You know, besides trespassing into STAR Labs, the guy hasn't done anything wrong," Iris pointed out.

"That person knows who we are. And he claims that he was The Flash. That there is this 'Zoom' character out to get me through these space rifts all over Central City. The man is clearly insane," Barry said.

"Not necessarily Mr. Allen," Stein interrupted him. "Mr. Garrick has claimed that he has come from an alternate Earth, where he was The Flash,"

"Hold on. You lost me," Joe said, trying to wrap his head around a whole other Earth. "What do you mean 'alternate Earth'?"

"I will try to explain," Stein said, grabbing a marker and getting a white board. "This right here is us. Let's call it Earth-1," Stein created a circle and wrote E1 in it. "This is where Mr. Garrick claims to be, let's call it Earth-2," Stein created another circle beside the original and labelled it E2.

"Here, history might be similar, but vastly different to the one we know. For instance, here Joe, you are a detective. But Joe West of Earth-2 might have a different profession. Perhaps an electrician," Stein tried to explain while creating multiple other circles. "The possibilities are endless with infinite Earths, each holding different people who have led different lives or lived them out in different ways,"

"So I'm guessing all these people from these Earths, they all have jobs that they need to afford food and such," Joe was just trying to relate to these other people that were not existent here.

"I would assume so," Stein agreed. That may not be the case on some Earths, but it would stand to reason to remain consistent on a majority of them.

"Good, at least we got that in common," Joe was just going to have to accept that this was his life now.

"Yeah, but how can we be sure that he's telling the truth? Can you somehow do a lie detector test on him, Cait? Just to make sure that he is telling the truth." Barry looked at the ice witch, hoping that she would do what he said.

"I don't take orders from you Fleet Feet. If I'm just a run of the mill doctor, then surely you can do it yourself," Caitlin yelled at him.

"Please Ms. Frosty, this once there cannot be room to argue. There is a man in lockup in our facility that we need to verify whether he is telling the truth or not. We can't do that if we're forced to never let him out," Barry pointed out.

"So you think just because I'm a pretty face that this man is going to reveal his whole plan about being a deceitful, lying bastard that's out to get you?" Caitlin told him her opinion on the matter.

"No! It's not that at all! I didn't ask you to do it because I was hoping you would seduce him, I asked because I know you can talk to him. I don't expect you to take orders from me since I'm the reason that Ronnie died but if there is any amount of respect you have for me, you will do this for me." Barry tried to convince the ice meta while he slowly and cautiously approached her.

Caitlin mulled it over in the few seconds it took for Barry to reach her before she pushed him to the side, making her way to the Pipeline. "Just to be clear, I'm only doing this because I respect The Flash and everything he's done for the city. Not Barry Allen,"

With that, she went down to retrieve the suspected man from his prison to lead him to the med bay where she could perform a checkup and secretly perform the lie detector test.

* * *

Caitlin had placed several wires on Jay. Some were meant to be medical, but a few tiny ones were monitoring his heart beat and sweat glands as a form of lie detection.

Knowing she had to start with something he would never lie about, she said his name. "So Jay,"

"Huh?" he responded immediately. His heart rate was a little raised, but considering he used to be a speedster, it wasn't that surprising.

"You said you were The Flash from your world. How did you get your powers?" Caitlin asked innocently with a small smile.

"Well I was working in my lab one night, trying to purify heavy rain water from its contaminants, when a lightning bolt struck me, and next thing I knew I could run faster than the speed of sound," Jay easily answered.

His heart rate remained consistent, but one thing stuck out that he said. "Lab? Are you a scientist?" Caitlin asked, now heavily intrigued by this man.

"Well, part-time physicist, part-time superhero," Jay let out a light chuckle. "Well guess I can drop the superhero part,"

Caitlin soon found herself engaging in this man rapidly. There was so much she felt that she could just talk about with him. Now came the physical tests.

"I need you to take off your shirt," Caitlin bluntly stated.

When Jay just stared at her in mild shock, Caitlin was quick to correct herself. "I mean, I need to attach more wires to you so we can measure your physical abilities on the treadmill,"

Jay just smiled at her, finding her rushed speaking and embarrassment extremely cute. "I will gladly comply,"

Jay shrugged off the shirt he was currently wearing, revealing his chest to Caitlin which she just could not take her eyes off. She mentally slapped herself. She was a professional, and Barry had given her a job to do, but looking at the results, everything he said remained consistent, so either he is very good at lying, or he is being truthful.

When Jay was lightly jogging on the treadmill, Caitlin was looking over the results that were given to her. Everything looked perfectly healthy for an adult male, but that was the problem right there.

Iris soon walked up to her, wanting to check how things were doing. "So, how is everything?" Iris asked.

"Jay seems to have no trace of the Speed Force in his system, but his overall vitals are in good condition," Caitlin informed her, but her eyes stayed glued on the man behind the glass.

"But nowhere near Barry's levels," Iris stated the problem in Jay's story.

"No, but he is certainly above the average male," Caitlin hungrily eyed the shirtless man who was sweating profusely.

"In more ways than one," Iris eyed Caitlin suspiciously.

"Oh? I didn't notice," Caitlin teared her eyes away and started typing something into the computer.

Iris looked between Caitlin and the suspicious man before coming to a conclusion that angered her to her very being.

"Behind my brother's back?" Iris shouted at her.

"What are you talking about?" Caitlin asked, confused at what Iris was getting at.

"You, and this Jay guy," Iris pointed at the two. "That isn't supposed to happen. You are Barry are supposed to fall in love and get married and give me a couple nieces and nephews,"

"You are looking way too far into the future," Caitlin waved her off.

"So you admit it's going to happen," Iris stated, confidently.

"No, Barry and I are never going to happen. I don't know why everyone thinks we are, but we aren't," Caitlin firmly stated. "Let me make this clear, Barry Allen is the most arrogant, self-righteous man that believes he is the answer to the whole entire universe. The day I even consider being romantically attracted to him, is right next to the month of 'Never Going to Happen,' and the week before 'Pigs Fly,'"

"You know, I just wish you could see how my brother looks and talks with you differently than anyone else. He looks at you like you're his whole world. I just wish you could see it with your own eyes before you miss it in a flash. And trust me, when you finally notice these things on your own and he moves onto a different girl, you will regret not seeing it sooner." Iris said to the bioengineer before walking away.

Caitlin had no idea what that was all about. Shrugging her shoulders, she went back to work.

* * *

During the night, Barry was responding to a fire alarm at an old warehouse. The firefighters were already on the scene, but the flames were so large, Barry went in to deal with it himself.

It took a couple more seconds than he was used to, due to the massive amount of flames, but eventually he managed to quell the fire.

Taking a few deep breaths, Barry readied himself to make his exit when he thought he saw something moving from the corner of his eyes.

Approaching where he thought he saw movement, he started hearing something that sounded like sand scraping against the concrete floor.

"Well lookie what I got here," a voice sounded behind him. "The Flash,"

Turning around, Barry saw a man that he swears wasn't there before. He had no idea the man was even there. Bracing himself, Barry prepared for a fight. He had no idea who this man was, but considering the circumstances, he probably wasn't up to any good.

"I've been looking for you. Zoom sent me," the man said.

Immediately, Barry is brought back to the night they confronted Atom Smasher, and as he was laying there, he said something similar. That Zoom was going to get him.

"Who is Zoom?" Barry demanded.

"You're not going to live long enough to find out," the man said. He pulled back his fist, as if he were preparing for a punch despite being several feet apart from each other. When he launched his fist forward, something strange happened. His entire arm seemed to transform and take on a beige hue. The fist extended forward and managed to strike a blow against him.

So this man was a meta, and had the ability to stretch himself apparently. Not giving a moment of rest, Barry pushed himself forward, trying to keep the meta off balance, but then the man disassembled himself into what appeared to be grains of sand. He literally slipped through Barry's fingers.

Barry couldn't get a grip on the guy, and he didn't know what he was supposed to do against someone who could slip out of his grasp with ease. He'd always had someone solid he could take down.

Despite that, Barry tried to keep the meta as contained as possible while he came up with a plan. Barry began to circle the perimeter of the room, the wind he was kicking up was managing to keep the unknown meta from escaping, but unfortunately that also left Barry vulnerable to an attack.

Barry didn't know how, but he was somehow able to keep track of Barry's movements, and landed a solid hit against him. Barry was sent flying into a wall where he collapsed from the exhaustion and pain.

The man was stalking towards him, but a silent cracking could be heard that made the man pause. Lifting up his hand to see, his skin appeared to be breaking. "Looks like you're in luck, pal. I'm running out of time, but next time we meet will be different," he said before he escaped, transforming himself into millions of grains of sand.

Seeing him leave, Barry let out a breath of relief. He didn't know what happened, but he just knew if given a little more time, he may have died. He caught his breath and ran out of there as soon as he could.

* * *

In the morning, he was called to the crime scene from last night. When he got there, he recognized all of the faces in there except from one person. A blonde girl standing next to Joe.

"Detective West, I want to show you something. I believe that what I found is the cause of the fire." The blonde girl said to the detective.

"Detective Spivot, what brings you here?" Joe asked, clearly already having been introduced to the new detective.

"Well, active crime scene," Spivot gestured behind her with a smile on her face. Her smile was so contagious that Barry couldn't help but smile along. "Just doing my job. Anyway, come with me,"

"Who is that?" Barry whispered to Joe about the woman they are currently following, his eyes never leaving her.

"Detective Patty Spivot," Joe answered. "I met her when she asked to join the metahuman police department,"

"What did you say?" Barry asked in curiosity. Perhaps he would be seeing more of her if she became Joe's new partner.

"I said no," Joe left it at that as they continued to follow the woman.

They were led to a backroom where a wire was cut and the ends were covered in what appeared to be sand. Barry immediately set to work, trying to see if he could get some prints off. Maybe they could find out who that person was.

"I was already able to pull off some partial prints off it, and look at this," Patty pointed to the end of the wire as she handed some files with the fingerprints to Joe. "It looks like this was cut by some type of heavy sandblaster."

Taking a quick glance, Barry was actually surprised at how quick she was able to gather all this information in such a short amount of time. "Wow, that's great. Thank you. You should've become a CSI," Barry jokingly says. "I'm Barry-"

"-Barry Allen," Patty cuts in. "I know. I've read all of your reports,"

"Wow. I don't think I have even read all of them," Barry says in disbelief that someone actually took the time to read something that even bores him sometimes.

"The amount of detail you provide is so illuminating. It's as if you were there yourself when someone was being gruesomely murdered," Patty exclaimed in excitement.

Patty quickly caught herself when she heard what she actually said. "Not that you actually did have any part in the murders. I mean…" Patty tilted her head down in embarrassment. "I'll just leave you two to it," She then promptly left the room to join the others outside.

Barry chuckled at her. He found her demeanor extremely cute, the fact she could get flustered so easily. She just seemed so happy that it made him happy as well.

Joe just looked between Barry and the direction Patty left as Barry was still stuck on staring at the exit with a goofy expression, even though she'd already disappeared from sight. Letting out a groan, he realized what was going on.

"Did you say something Joe?" Barry asked as he heard something coming from Joe, but couldn't make out what.

"Forget about it Barry. Just get back to work, I should get these processed down at the station," Joe gestured to the files in his hands.

"I'll meet you there. I just want to double check everything," Barry said before he got back to examining the rest of the room. There could be something else in this room to indicate who their meta was. At the very least, it was the source of the massive fire last night. It needed a thorough sweeping.

* * *

Getting into his car, Joe pulled out his phone to call Iris. He was just exiting the parking lot when Iris finally answered. "Dad?" she questioned.

"Hey baby, there's something I need to tell you." Joe said.

"Tell me about it. Everything is not going how it was supposed to between Barry and Caitlin," Iris complained into the phone.

"You already know?" Joe asked, confused. How could she already know Barry was interested in someone else after just meeting this new woman a few minutes ago.

"Of course I know. How do you know?" Iris asked.

"Barry and I just talked to this new detective on the force and Barry seemed quite taken by her," Joe informed his daughter.

"What? No! Caitlin's gone and developed a crush on our house guest, Jay," Iris said bitterly to him.

"Listen sweetie, I know you wanted them together, but they're both mature adults. They're allowed to make their own decisions in their lives and if they choose to go after other people, then it's their choice," Joe said.

"But they're not supposed to be with other people. They are meant to be together. The future says so. I want my nieces and nephews," Iris whined.

"Iris, honey, if they're meant to be together, then they will. You just need to have faith that everything will turn out alright in the end. Be patient, they've been dense enough to not be aware of being in love this long. Sooner or later, they'll come to the conclusion themselves. One of them needs to make the first move," Joe tried comforting his little girl.

"Well it better be sooner, because I cannot stand them not being together any longer. I need to live vicariously through them," Iris complained.

* * *

"What's up with you? Did Caitlin give you another one of her speedster concoctions?" Cisco asked, seeing the goofy smile on the speedster's face.

"If you must know, I met a really cute girl earlier at a crime scene. Her name is Patty Spivot and she is Joe's new potential partner." Barry replied, making Caitlin snap her head towards his direction.

For a moment, Caitlin thought back to what Iris said to her earlier but quickly dismissed it. She is not Barry's girlfriend and never will be. She has no reasons to be feeling anything if Barry was to get himself a girlfriend.

"Oh," Cisco says, shocked. He thought that if Barry were to ever go for someone, it would always be Caitlin. The two were practically married since day one. Cisco silently cursed the two for their obliviousness of their feelings. Why did they have to be so frustratingly dense?

"I'm actually thinking about asking her out," Barry said, looking directly at Caitlin.

Caitlin noticed his intense gaze on her and started to get defensive due to her confusion. Both on the situation and this uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Why are you looking at me like that? If you want to go out with some random woman you just met, by all means. I'm not stopping you Fleet Feet,"

Barry just rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Forget it. I don't know what I expected from you Ms. Frosty, but I'm obviously just going to be disappointed,"

"Well, if you want me to say something, how about this? I'm thinking about asking Jay out to dinner?" Caitlin said.

"Seriously?!" Cisco shouted, raising his chin towards the ceiling as if praying for an answer.

"What the hell are you doing Caitlin?" Barry yelled at her.

"Excuse me?" Caitlin asked, offended.

"That man is nothing but trouble. Since the moment he's gotten here, everything he's said could be a lie. We can't trust him," Barry pointed out.

"Maybe you can't trust him, but not all of us are you." Caitlin glared at him. "Maybe you can't see past your own mental problems, but not everyone is going to be a Reverse Flash. There are good people out there, and I trust Jay,"

"We don't even know if that's his actual name!" Barry argued, waving his hands in anger.

"You know, I did that lie detector test you asked of me, and all the results came back positive. Everything he's said to us has been the truth," Caitlin yelled at him.

"Those things aren't reliable. He could just be speeding up his heartbeat to make it seem like he's being truthful," Barry grumbled at her.

"Then why did you ask me to do it? There's no way he could be controlling his heartbeat. There's no trace amounts of Speed Force energy at all in his system." Caitlin informed him. "Why can't you just trust him?"

"Trust him? Like you trusted me?" Barry gestured to himself. "You are such a hypocrite Cait. You're willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but you couldn't for me?"

"I was, until I learned what an egotistical asshole you were," Caitlin shouted.

"Well, lucky for me I figured out what a vicious, crazy bitch you are," Barry snapped at her.

"Children! Please! I thought we had already forgiven each other on bad first impressions," Cisco shouted at the two. Sometimes they just got on his nerves. There were days where they could actually seem like friends. Then there were days where they got angry at each other for absolutely no reason. Why was he cursed with such a burden of being their friend?

"He/She started it!" they both yelled at the same time.

"Ms. Frosty, you cannot date him. He is a menace," Barry boldly stated.

"You don't control me Fleet Feet. I can go out with whomever I choose, and perhaps you're too blinded by your issues to see that not everything is about you," Caitlin countered.

The two had a stare off with each other for what seemed like hours, but was actually more like 20 seconds. Their attention was diverted when Barry's phone alerted them of a notification.

Peering down, Barry took a quick glance at the screen. "It's Joe. They found whose prints we got from the crime scene and they brought him to holding. I need to get over there,"

"That's right, walk away Fleet Feet," Caitlin called out to him.

"This conversation isn't over Ms. Frosty," Barry shouted before running to CCPD.

* * *

"So, thanks for all your help the other day. Without you, I don't know how long it would have taken to find the room and get the prints off the cable," Barry thanked Patty as Joe was interviewing their suspect.

"It was no problem, but if you could just give me some advice, I would greatly appreciate it," Patty asked of him.

"Of course. Ask me anything. I'm an open book," Barry smiled at her.

"Joe. I requested to be part of his metahuman task force and he just shot me down without giving me a reason. If you could help me out with convincing him…" Patty trailed off.

Barry just laughed at the thought of actually being able to read the behaviour of Joe West. "I have been trying to crack that code since I was 11 and I'm still no closer than the day I started,"

"Well, that's a shame," Patty said, disappointed but she didn't let it show. She kept her ever present smile on her face, which just made Barry smile all the more.

"I'm sorry if he was too hard on you," Barry apologized on Joe's behalf.

"Oh don't apologize. But he does kinda remind me of the permission Sphinx. Or like a magic 8 ball with just one answer." Patty just laughs it off in a good gesture.

Barry laughed as well. He could relate to that in many ways. He couldn't keep track of the amount of times Joe had denied him something he'd been longing for. The primary example being denying him the right to see his father after he was incarcerated. But he later learned Joe was acting on his father's behalf. That his father didn't want Barry to see him in chains, treated as nothing but a man who murdered his wife, even though they both knew the truth.

"Or like, you know, the Bridgekeeper protecting the Holy Grail," Patty continues to list pop culture references relating to Joe's current behaviour.

"What is your quest?" Barry says in a fake british accent, referring to the last one she listed.

"Oh, to join your task force," Patty plays along, using her own british accent.

"No," Barry immediately says, causing both of them to burst out laughing

"Well, maybe I can put in a good word for you," Barry suggested after they both calmed down a little, but silent laughs could still be heard beneath their speech.

Patty gave him the biggest smile she could produce. "That would mean a lot to me Barry," Here was a guy she idolized since first learning about him, and he was offering her his help in something as trivial as having a conversation with his foster father on her behalf. She couldn't express how much she appreciated the gesture.

* * *

After the interview, Joe called Barry out to have a private discussion of their own. "So the guy in there, Eddie Slick, he wasn't in Central City the night of the particle accelerator explosion,"

"That doesn't matter. There was a meta Oliver brought to us, and he was in Star City the night of the explosion. I mean, who knows how far this dark matter reached that night? Slick is the guy who jumped me last night. I'm sure of it," Barry argued.

"He's not a meta Barry. He's a dirtbag and an arsonist, but he's not a liar. Do you think that Slick has a…" Joe said, but didn't know the correct word to use for the circumstances.

"A doppelganger?" Barry supplied. "I don't know Joe. I mean what do we have to base off this? A story from a man who tries to break into STAR Labs and just expects us to believe him?"

"Look, I know I don't fully understand all this infinite Earths talk, but if that man can give us a lead on what is happening, it may be worth it to hear him out," Joe said.

Barry had a reluctant look on his face. He didn't want to trust that man at all. The guy strolled onto Barry's property and gave them a lunatic story. One the others were actually willing to test out. And things may seem to check out for the moment, but that's still just theoretical. There's no evidence to suggest what he's saying is the truth at all. And he just comes into their lives and Caitlin-

Barry reeled back at his thought process. When did Caitlin become a part of this? Sure, she voiced her desire to ask Jay out, but he didn't think she was serious. Jay was going to stay in lockup until he gave the go ahead, and that wasn't looking likely at the moment.

* * *

"Yo," Barry called out as he walked into STAR Labs.

"Yo," Cisco responded. "So we just checked out this Eddie Slick guy. His story holds up. He was in Blackgate Penitentiary the night of the explosion, and his medical records since that night show no signs of dark matter,"

"I get it. It's not him," Barry grudgingly accepted it. The face he saw that night was the same as Slick. If Slick wasn't the man he faced last night, then maybe…

"I hate to say it, but it's looking like this Earth-2 theory might just be right," Cisco says, crossing his arms.

"For real?" Barry scoffed at him, doubt clouding his mind.

"What, you think Jay has been lying to us this whole time?" Iris asked, wanting to get to the bottom of why Barry was acting like this.

"I don't know. That's the problem," Barry says. "I'm not going to believe a guy who just walks onto private property and tells a story that may or may not be true,"

"He was right about Zoom. You said this Slick look-alike said Zoom sent him. And what about Atom Smasher?" Cisco listed how the villains they'd been facing always mentioned a Zoom in some way or form.

"What about Zoom? We're going to believe these criminals? One who was speaking on his deathbed, and one who decided being an arsonist was a good idea considering his powers," Barry said.

Barry had mentioned how he'd escaped that night, about how Slick's sand body had seemed to be drying up, similar to how wet sand starts to break apart after being left out in the sun for too long.

"We are scientists, you are a journalist," Barry gestured to the people around him. "We test, we prove, we report, but nobody seems to want to do any of that besides me. Have you found anything that can confirm Jay's story? Anything at all?" Barry asked Caitlin.

"No," Caitlin grudgingly admitted.

"Have you found any of these breaches that Jay claims to be littering Central City?" Barry addressed Stein.

"No, but I believe I've discovered a way to locate them," Stein tried to say.

"See, there is nothing to confirm this guy's story. Nothing he's told us has been shown to be true, and I'm not going to blindly trust him just on his word." Barry said.

"Can I speak to you for a moment?" Caitlin asked. "Alone?" She started walking into the hallway.

Barry followed her. If nothing else, she was his teammate. He was just going to have to see if she would say something beneficial to the team and not just another insult.

Once they were alone, Caitlin coated her hand in ice and slapped him across his face, leaving a large cut on his cheek that started to bleed, but the wound was already closing due to his increased healing abilities. "What the hell is going on with you?" she asked.

"What are you talking about?" Barry questioned.

"What happened to the Barry Allen I used to know? The one who wanted to become The Flash," Caitlin asked, because the man before her was not Barry Allen. He was just an empty shell of the man he used to be.

"A lot of things have changed. Guess you wouldn't know though, considering how long you've been gone," Barry retorted.

"Yeah, you've learned not to trust people," Caitlin said.

"Is that such a bad thing? Eobard Thawne pretended to be Wells. I trusted him! _We_ trusted him and he betrayed us all! He played us all, we're all just pawns for him! And what do you know about the real Barry Allen?! Huh?! You hated me since the first day I woke up here at STAR Labs and you didn't even let me prove myself to you. You outright judged me, so I don't think that you're the one to talk about knowing who I am." Barry walked away, leaving no room for discussion as Caitlin stood there, stunned at his statement.

* * *

**I hope everyone enjoyed it. From a couple comments I had last week, I apologize if I've offended anyone that read this story for the Snowbarry and not the arguments. But to be fair you decided to read this story with that story description. Here's an enquiry. Do you think I should change it? And if so, to what?**

**A fair amount have expressed that I should cut back on the fighting and my answer to that is I will make an effort. But if I feel that there's a certain scene that deserves a very special blow up, then I will. I've said this many times, but the excessive fighting will stop once season 3 begins.**

**I hope everyone remains safe as we continue through this dangerous time. I will see you all next week.**


	15. Second Chances

**Getting back in the swing of things. Here's the newest chapter. I'm having so much fun. Are you guys having fun? I want to thank everyone who's supported me throughout the series, even the people who have criticized me because I think it's helped me develop as a writer. My co-authors Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash**

* * *

It took some time, but the team finally managed to convince Barry to confront Jay about this new meta, if nothing else, simply because they had no other option when dealing with a man who doesn't exist in a sense.

"This man," Barry held up a picture of Slick to the glass of Jay's container. "Do you know him?"

"You need my help?" Jay asked him.

"Answer the question," Barry said with a no-nonsense tone. "If you ever want to get out of here, you'll answer my questions,"

"His name is Eddie Slick. On my Earth, he was a metahuman with the ability to convert his cells into particles that resemble sand." Jay told him. "Let me guess, you met him,"

"That's none of your business." Barry dismissed him.

"I told you this would happen Barry. Zoom is going to keep sending these people here until he can prove that he is the fastest speedster on any Earth," Jay said to him.

"I don't need to hear this," Barry began to back away.

"I can teach you how to stop him," Jay called out to Barry before it was too late.

Barry paused for a second. If Jay could tell him how to detain someone as troublesome as Slick, maybe Jay would be worth keeping around.

"And how would I stop someone who can slip through my fingers?" Barry asked.

"The same way I was never able to," Jay said. "With lightning. Time to learn something new kid,"

"Thanks for the advice. I'll take it under consideration," Barry looked at him with contempt before turning his back on him.

"Hold on, I just told you how to stop this guy, don't I deserve a little thanks?" Jay asked.

"What you just told me was to kill that man. If my lightning were to hit him, his body would be reduced to glass. That would kill him," Barry said.

"It's the only way Barry," Jay said.

"There's always another way," Barry glared at him. Typing on the screen beside him, Barry closed the Pipeline and returned Jay back to his hole.

* * *

"He does make a point," Iris said.

"You're actually agreeing with him?" Barry questioned Iris.

"I mean, it makes sense when you think about it. Physical attacks don't work on him, we're going to have to attack him with something else, and your lightning is our best bet," Iris said.

"If I do, I could kill him. Our first option should never be to kill our opponents. Our priority is to save lives, and that includes criminals. It is not our decision on who lives or dies," Barry argued.

"This man set a building on fire. He almost killed you Barry," Iris reminded him.

"And that means it's okay to kill him?" Caitlin asked her. Killing others was the one thing that would get Barry and Caitlin on the same side. They may argue about a lot of topics, but they always had their morals. "If this were anyone else, he would be sentenced to a few years of prison, not the death penalty."

"We just need to find a way to stop him that doesn't involve his death. We stopped a metahuman who could turn into gas in our first month of working together. I'm sure we can figure out a way to stop one who can turn into sand," Barry pointed out.

"That was when our metas were still fairly inexperienced with their powers. Tiring them out isn't going to work as much. We don't even know how long Sand Stream has had his powers," Cisco said.

Everyone just turned to look at him in confusion at the new name.

"What? Not good?" Cisco asked.

"Jay said his name was Sand Demon," Caitlin mentioned offhandedly.

"Seriously? I think we need to establish with him that I am the one who comes up with the names here, but I'm gonna let that one slide because they're from the same Earth and I actually really like that one. I'm not mad about that," Cisco smirked to himself as he repeated the name in his head multiple times. It was pretty cool.

"Well first we need to find this guy," Barry reminded them all. "Any luck on a location?"

"Well, I talked to some of my underground contacts and I think they found something," Caitlin said.

"Wait, you have underground contacts?" Barry asked.

"Of course I do. Moonlighting as a vigilante, it helps to have some eyes in the shadows. These guys don't take too kindly to new metas imposing on their positions, so they always keep an eye out for any up and coming meta criminals," Caitlin said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, a guy matching Slick's description was seen walking out of this building," Caitlin used the computer to pull up an image of an abandoned greenhouse.

"That would make sense. His body seems to need moisture in order for his powers to work correctly. What better place than a greenhouse?" Barry said.

"So what are we doing?" Caitlin asked.

"I've got an idea. I'm going to use Jay's suggestion and use my lightning to stop him." Barry said.

"I thought you agreed with me that we shouldn't kill these guys right off the bat?" Caitlin said, taken aback at what Barry said.

"I still do. I'm not going to kill him. I'm going to restrain him," Barry said with a look in his eyes.

Rushing off, Barry grabbed his new suit and ran towards the greenhouse Caitlin indicated.

Once he got there, he started looking around. Whether Sand Demon was here or not, there should be something that should tell him whether the sand meta was here at some point.

Turning towards his left, Barry felt a punch to the back of his head. He really needed to stop letting his back down.

"Well I guess I should thank you Flash. You've saved me the trouble of finding you myself," Slick said.

"You're coming with me. You're going to answer some questions of mine," Barry demanded.

"And how do you reckon we do this? You can't touch me Flash, but I certainly can." Slick smirked as he used both of his fists to try to hit Barry.

Deciding to put his new idea to the test, Barry started to vibrate his body. Instantly, lightning began running all along his body, creating a type of armour made of electricity.

The two sand fists tried to strike him from two different angles. One from his left and the other from the right, but both shattered to glass as soon as they made contact with Barry's body.

Screaming in pain, Slick reeled his hands back to their original state. Looking at them, it seemed as if his hands had been cracked open. They were bleeding. He almost forgot the sensation of what it felt like to be hurt.

Glaring at him, Slick still held his hands close to his chest for some form of comfort. "How?" he demanded to know.

"The lightning around my body acted as a shield. When your sand hands made contact with the electricity, it instantly turned them to glass, and the force behind them caused them to shatter. Guess you're not as invulnerable as you thought," Barry explained it to him.

"So I guess we've reached a stalemate. You still can't touch me, and now I can't touch you," Slick said, his smirk still on his face. This Flash wouldn't be able to hold this trick up for long. He would tire, and that would be his moment to strike.

"Think again," Barry said, his vocal cords vibrating while keeping his lightning shield up. His voice now seemed extremely threatening, and the yellow lightning behind his eyes made it seem like they were glowing. All in all, he seemed like a red and yellow version of Zoom, compared to the usual blue and black colouring of the speedster.

Barry raced forward and stretched a hand out, grabbing Slick's arm. The lightning around Barry continued to surround him, and upon contact, turned Slick's entire arm to glass. It was only for a brief moment, so only the arm was converted, but it still had the desired effect. Slick couldn't move it anymore. And without any force to break it, it was just dead weight on his shoulder. Maybe he'd be able to reform it after some time, but there just wasn't enough of it right now.

"I'm going to offer you right now the chance to give up and come with me quietly," Barry gave the offer once again. Now that Slick has been aware of what he can do, maybe he'd be more willing to go down without too much of a fight. And as a show of good faith, he powered down his lightning shield.

As an answer, Slick used his other arm to punch Barry in the chest. "Go to hell," he said.

Catching his wind back, Barry stood up and began to vibrate his whole body again, coating himself with the lightning. Racing up to him, Barry instantly stopped right in front of Slick. Not knowing what he was doing, only knowing he needed to get The Flash away from him, lest he be turned to glass, he used his sole arm to try to knock him away again. It may turn into glass and break, but hopefully the force would push him back and he'd try to make a run for it.

Barry wasn't letting any of that happen. As soon as he saw his plan work when Slick reared his hand back in preparation of a punch, Barry shot off once again, appearing directly behind Slick. Now it's time to use their blind spot to his advantage.

Barry raised his hand and touched Slick's back, just long enough to turn his body from the shoulders and below into glass, leaving just his head unharmed.

No longer able to move his body, Slick relented. He'd been beaten. He could admit that. Now he was at the mercy of this Flash. At least until his powers gave his body back. At least this speedster was more merciful than the one back home.

* * *

"Who sent you?" Barry asked while in his Flash suit.

Team Flash and Barry stood in front of Slick's cell, staring at the meta in confusion.

Slick just refused to move. Not that there was much he could move. His entire body from the shoulders and below was transformed into a hardened state that made it impossible to move. He may very well be paralyzed.

"Who's this Zoom you mentioned?" Barry asked.

Again, Slick remained silent. It was like they weren't even there.

Deciding enough was enough, Barry left. They obviously weren't going to get any answers out of him. And he wasn't exactly trained in the art of interrogation. He usually left that to Joe.

Returning to the Cortex, Barry began to take off his suit. "Yeah, he's not talking. Whoever this Zoom guy is, he's enough to keep him quiet about everything,"

"Is he going to be okay?" Iris asked.

"Tests show that, even with his glass body, Slick's cells are healing themselves. Soon, he'll get his original body back and be able to move," Caitlin informed her.

"And will that cell be able to hold him afterwards?" Iris questioned. Once Slick would regain control of his body, what was stopping him from escaping?

"That cell once held a metahuman who could turn his body into gas. He's not going anywhere," Cisco dismissed her concerns.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Caitlin asked the group.

"We can't get Slick to talk. Unless we want to try other methods to get him to talk, he's going to be rotting in the Pipeline for the rest of his life," Barry said.

"You want to torture him?" Caitlin asked.

"Not torture specifically. Just other ways to get him to talk that we haven't tried yet," Barry rolled his eyes. After all this time, Caitlin still thought the worst of him. As if torture were the first option he would go with.

"Well I don't know about you guys, but after everything we've been through, I could use some good old-fashioned coffee. Who's with me?" Cisco asked, getting out of his chair.

"Yeah sure. I could use a good stretch," Barry agreed.

"I'm gonna stay here. Keep talking with Jay. Hopefully we can find some way to get to Earth-2." Caitlin denied.

"I don't like this," Barry said.

"Why? Because I'm talking with a guy I might like?" Caitlin suggested.

"No, because I don't trust that man. If I come back to find out he's been let out of his cell, there will be hell to pay," Barry made sure to get his point across.

"He won't leave his cell, not unless I need him to," Caitlin said. "While you're there can you get me a-"

"A medium vanilla latte with no milk," Barry said.

"No, that's my Monday order. Today I get-"

"A large cappuccino, no foam. Right," Barry corrected himself, as both he and Cisco made their way out of STAR Labs.

Cisco decided not to question this. Barry and Caitlin spent so much time together, they were practically connected at the hip. If they didn't learn something about the other, it would be surprising. Still, he never expected them to know each other's coffee order on which specific day. Even he didn't know that.

Iris was not as restrained. "He knows your coffee order?"

"What about it?" Caitlin asked, not seeing anything wrong with the situation.

"How can you not see the way you are around each other?" Iris questioned.

"We fight, we argue. At the end of the day, we're considered friends before repeating our routine the following day. What else is there to see?" Caitlin pointed out.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn? Why can't you see the two of you clearly care for each other that goes beyond simple friendship?" Iris yelled at Caitlin.

"Iris, listen to what I am saying. Barry and I will never be together. There is less than a snowball's chance in hell that I would ever consider being romantically involved with that man, despite what others say," Caitlin said slowly to make sure she made her point.

"Everyone knows you two are meant to be together. But it is so frustrating to see you two skirt around the issue because of your personal problems that are completely irrelevant," Iris tried to get Caitlin to see her viewpoint.

"I don't know what to tell you anymore Iris, but I'm not interested in Barry. End of conversation." Caitlin boldly stated.

* * *

"So what's going on between you and Caitlin?" Cisco asked.

"What are you talking about? If anything I think we've been behaving pretty well with each other," Barry asked, slightly confused as they were waiting in line at Jitters.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about. When did you guys finally start to act mature around each other? I mean, you've even memorized her coffee order," Cisco pointed out.

"We can act mature whenever we want. There's just things we need to get out in the open with each other. A lot of things," Barry started trailing off as he delved deep in thought.

"At least wait until we get back to STAR," Cisco rolled his eyes at his friend's antics.

Barry's phone began to ring, which made Barry take it out of his pocket to see who it was. "Oh, this is actually really important. I need to take this. You know our orders?"

"Yeah, you want a Flash, while Caitlin wants a cappuccino," Cisco told him their orders.

"Without foam," Barry reminded him.

"Of course. How could I forget?" Cisco said sarcastically, but Barry didn't seem to notice.

"Hello? Mr. Morty, yes this is Barry Allen. I understand sir, and I agree that it is a pressing concern…" Barry answered the phone before walking away to a more secluded area of the building so he could have the conversation in more privacy.

Cisco sighed. While he was glad his friend was making the best out of a situation he hated with the fake-Wells giving Barry complete control over STAR Labs, it seemed Barry was now busy at all times of the day. Guess those are just the responsibilities of being CEO of a company.

Just as he was about to order, Cisco felt a tap on his shoulder. "Hi Cisco," a voice whispered into his ear. A voice that was very familiar to him.

Turning around, Cisco was met face to face with someone he wished to never meet again. Lisa Snart standing there in her tight leather pants in all her glory.

Cisco mentally slapped himself. This was not the time or the person to be having these thoughts. She was a criminal. A very dangerous, hot criminal. Cisco continued to berate himself. He needs to stop having these thoughts about a wanted criminal.

"Lisa Snart. What are you doing here?" Cisco tried to play it cool, but he could hear his voice slightly crack from his nervousness. "You have a lot of nerve showing yourself. You know, with one touch of my phone I could have The Flash here in an instant," Cisco's eyes trailed to where he last saw Barry to see him still speaking into his phone.

"Go ahead," Lisa said, daring him to call upon the superhero.

"Okay, yeah I'll just go ahead and do that," Cisco began to type in his combination and was about to send the message when he caught the look in her eyes. She was staring at his movements with a look of anticipation and a little bit of hope.

Cisco soon realized she wanted him to call The Flash. "You want me to make this call don't you?" Cisco asked.

"I need his help," Lisa said. "My brother has been kidnapped,"

* * *

Cisco decided to bring the case to the team. They weren't sure what to make of it. For one thing, the Snart siblings were criminals. Then again they were people, and their morals wouldn't allow them in good conscience to allow something like this go unpunished.

They managed to track Leonard Snart through the use of the cold gun he was still in possession of, which led them straight to Snart. Both of them.

Leonard was working with his father, but a conversation with Lisa revealed that their father had gotten arrested when they were young, and they hadn't seen him since. Their relationship with their father was less than stellar, so there was no way that Leonard would willingly work with him, unless there was a catch.

A confrontation with the two of them again had gotten the gang to believe Lewis Snart had planted a bomb on someone. It would have to be someone he actually cared about. It couldn't be himself. Leonard had shown he would be willing to dig it out with his bare hands if he had to.

That led them to believe the bomb was within his sister, Lisa. Who was currently in STAR Labs at the moment.

They tried several ways to get the bomb out, but it was proving to be difficult. Scans showed there was something foreign in her neck. With a single push of a button, Lewis would be able to blow her head off, and who knew how large the blast would be.

Despite not achieving a high school degree, Lewis knew how to ensure his son's cooperation. Even if he didn't press it, the bomb would detonate if it came into contact with air or magnetism. That left very few options to do. The idea of Barry phasing his hand into her neck to pull it out was thrown around, but Cisco wasn't having any of it. He didn't want to do anything that could risk Lisa getting hurt.

In the end, Cisco was able to fashion a gun that would be able to suck the bomb out of her skin in an instant. The only problem was, it needed to utilize pressured air, which may cause the bomb to activate. Barry needed to go undercover to make sure nothing serious happened on the heist Lewis hired his son for. Leonard may be willing to stop dropping bodies, but Lewis wasn't part of the deal.

As soon as Cisco got the bomb out of Lisa, Barry would inform Leonard, so he would know his father didn't have any pull over him any longer. And Leonard made it perfectly clear he knew that when he shot his father as soon as the news was delivered.

Despite everything that happened to the family, Barry had to take Leonard in. But in that moment, Barry saw something that few people ever did. He saw that Snart was a good person in spite of everything he'd done. He just had a terrible upbringing. All things considered, the two of them weren't that different. They may even be able to call themselves friends someday.

* * *

Barry is currently at CCPD, more specifically, across Patty's desk. He's currently working out the courage to ask her out on a date as he watched her work.

"Are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna ask her out?" Joe asked the speedster, who was surprised by his statement.

"I thought you wanted me to be with Caitlin?" Barry asked, confused.

"I still do but in the end of the day, it's your decision on who you end up with." Joe gave Barry a small smile, giving the speedster enough courage to ask the blonde detective out on a date.

Barry walked confidently towards Patty's desk, fully intent on asking her out for dinner. Patty noticed him approaching and offered him a big smile like she always does. "Hey Barry. Is there something I can do for you?" she asked.

At the last second, Barry's nerves reappeared, leaving him a stuttering mess. "W-well, I-I wanted to ask if…"

Patty just continued to smile, waiting for him to finish his request. "Yes?"

"I w-wanted to know if y-you could offer me some advice," Barry backed out at the last second.

"Oh," Patty said, slightly disappointed but she didn't let it show. "Tell me what's the matter and I'll see what I can do,"

"There's this guy that I don't trust," Barry said, wanting some insight on what to do about Jay. "See, the guy kinda just showed up one day with no explanation and I just can't seem to get along with him,"

"And what do your friends think about him?" Patty asked.

"They all think I should give him a chance, but the thing is, I went through a similar thing about a year ago and the guy turned out to be my mom's murderer," Barry told her.

Patty gasped. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I'd heard about how Harrison Wells killed your mother but I didn't know you were close to him in anyway,"

"Don't be sorry, you didn't know," Barry dismissed her concerns. "Yeah I knew him. In fact, he took care of me when I was in my coma and we ended up friends after I woke up,"

"Still, it must have been tough when you learned who he really was," Patty said.

"It was. It took a lot of time for me to finally accept it, which is why I don't know if I can trust this person. In so many ways, he reminds me of Wells when we first met," Barry said.

"Well in my opinion, I think you should give this guy a chance to prove himself. Some people are just bad Barry, but you shouldn't let that decide all the new people you're going to meet because then you'll never be able to experience all the good things in life," Patty said to him.

Barry contemplated her words for a second before nodding his head in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. I can't keep dwelling on the past, I should give him a chance. At least one,"

Patty nodded her head and gave another smile in reassurance. "If you ever need anything, just talk to me and I'll do my best to help you,"

Barry smiled at her. She really made him feel so happy. Like everything was going to be okay. "Thanks Patty. I really appreciate everything you've done for me,"

* * *

Barry stared at the Pipeline door for a few moments as it began to open. The door opened to reveal Jay in his cell.

"What's the matter? Is it feeding time already?" Jay asked, sarcastically.

Barry just pressed a few buttons on the pad beside him. Soon the cell opened. Jay had a look of surprise on his face as he cautiously began to step out of the cell.

"I'm going to give you one chance to prove yourself. But if you step out of line even once, you are going back in this cell with the key thrown away," Barry said without any emotion in his voice.

"What's the occasion?" Jay asked, wanting to know what changed the speedster's mind.

"That's none of your concern. Either take it or leave it," Barry stated his offer.

"Guess this means you need to trust me," Jay said.

"Only for so long," Barry said. "You can start by trying to stabilize the breach here in STAR Labs,"

"Well I'd love to, but first I'd like a shower and maybe something to eat. You guys got a Big Belly Burger?" Jay asked.

Barry led him to a bathroom where Jay got situated before running off to a Big Belly Burger to get Jay a decent meal. If he was going to expect Jay to be trustful, then he had to give him the benefit of the doubt. And that meant getting him a meal every now and then, especially after keeping him locked up.

* * *

After a week of working on the breach, Jay finally managed to get it stabilized enough to allow anyone to travel through should they desire it. At first they were only able to make it so they could see it. But the breach was continuously collapsing on itself, which made it impossible for anyone, save an extremely fast speedster, to travel through them.

It just proved Zoom to be even faster, the fact that he could travel through a breach in the moments where everything stayed still. On top of that, he was carrying someone with him that he wanted to try to kill Barry.

Throughout the week, Barry and Jay talked whilst working on The Speed Cannon as Jay called it. They talked about anything they could, but the topic they always seemed to come back to was their shared responsibility of being their city's hero.

While they had the same powers and official superhero title, they had different nicknames for their alter egos. "I hear they call you the Scarlet Speedster here?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, what about you?" Barry inquired.

"Crimson Comet," Jay told him. "And Caitlin calls you Fleet Feet?"

"Unfortunately," Barry sighed.

"What is it with people and alliterations?" Jay joked about their nicknames.

"I don't know," Barry chuckles. It was pretty funny once you thought about it. "Listen Jay, I'm really thankful I took a chance on you. You're alright,"

"Well thanks Barry. I'd like to think I am. And as soon as I get this Speed Cannon working and managed to get back home, I'm going to try to keep working to help my city,"

"That's really heroic, what you're doing," Barry said.

"All in a hero's work. Doesn't matter whether I'm still in the game or not. A hero is a hero no matter what," Jay said.

"Words to live by," Barry agreed. "Listen, once you finish here, why don't I take you out? Do something fun for once?"

"I don't think I've gotten the chance to explore Central City's nightlife yet," Jay mentioned.

"Well I know this great karaoke bar. What do you say we get a drink later?" Barry offered.

"I think I'll have to take you up on that offer," Jay smiled.

* * *

Once the Speed Cannon was successful and everything indicated that it would be safe to enter, the two men did what they agreed upon. They went out to enjoy themselves a little. They went to a bar to get a celebratory drink. The next day, they spent the time just enjoying themselves. Went for a walk around Central City, getting to know each other better. Barry was really opening up to Jay now.

The problem was Caitlin wanted to tag along with them. Everywhere they went, Caitlin decided to follow. She went with them to the bar, walked around Central City all day with them. Barry knew she was infatuated with Jay, but the fact that she could stand his presence as long as Jay was with them really irritated him for some reason.

Jay didn't even seem to mind. As a matter of fact, he seemed to enjoy Caitlin's company more. It made Barry feel like a third wheel. Despite the good times he was spending with Jay, with Caitlin along for the ride, Barry sometimes felt it would have been better if he was at work, waiting for the courage to ask Patty out.

As soon as he and Caitlin got a moment alone, he decided to confront her. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"What? I can't spend the day with my fellow teammates?" Caitlin asked.

"If it's me, then yeah," Barry said. "You can't stand to be near me for more than an hour and the fact that we have been hanging out together for most of the day is cause for concern,"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Caitlin said.

"Look, if you want to ask Jay out, go right ahead. I'm not stopping you, but if you're going to do it, just do it already, stop making this awkward for the three of us," Barry told her.

"Look who's talking," Caitlin quipped. "You have been talking our ears off about Patty back at the labs and you still haven't done anything about it. I'm pretty sure you've been avoiding spending time with her by spending time with Jay,"

"That's not-I'm not…" Barry tried to say but couldn't.

She had a point. Barry had been away from CCPD, preferring to do his work at STAR instead. He said it was easier for him since he had to operate STAR from there so it was better to bring all his work there as well. But everybody knew the truth. He was using it as an excuse to avoid Patty because he just honestly didn't know what to say to her, yet didn't know when to stop and he was scared he would say something and wouldn't be able to take it back.

"I'm working on it, Ms Frosty. Also, what is going on between me and Patty doesn't concern you." Barry barked back.

"Then whatever is happening between me and Jay doesn't concern you either, Fleet Feet."

"Yes, it does."

"And how is that?" The ice meta asked.

"Your relationship can affect the team, and when the team is in concern, that makes it my concern." Barry reasoned but Caitlin feels ĺike he isn't telling her everything.

"What really is the problem here?" She confronted him, her arms crossed while she glared at him.

"Weren't you listening?! I just told you!" Barry yelled, he was getting frustrated from their argument.

"Oh, I heard it just fine but I know that you aren't telling me everything." She sassed, further irritating the speedster.

"Nothing else is the matter. There is an issue I'm not comfortable with and I'm addressing it. That's all there is," Barry argued.

"There's something else you're not telling me Barry, and if you won't say what it is, then we have no issues about me hanging out with Jay at all," Caitlin said, icily as she went back to where Jay was.

"Nothing is wrong," Barry mumbled to himself as he watched Caitlin continue to converse with Jay. He didn't if he believed himself.

* * *

**Everyone okay? So I've come up with another way to take down Sand Demon where he survives. You guys think it's feasible? Anyway, he's just going to be stuck in the Pipeline for the rest of his life. If I can think of a way to prevent an unnecessary death, I'll take it.**

**Barry is starting to warm up to Jay, but it's not going to be easy with Caitlin mooning over Jay. Not like Barry has much room to talk with Patty on his mind. I'll be sad once both are gone, but then we can get to the actual feelings between these two.**

**Stay safe everyone and I'll see you next week.**


	16. Opposing Forces

**Hello everyone. The week has gone by so fast for me. How's it been for everyone else? Hope you all enjoy what I have cooked up in store for you guys. My co-authors are Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash**

* * *

Despite the Speed Cannon's completion, the team still wanted to run several tests before actually sending a person through it. One can never be too careful, especially when dealing with something that was only recently discovered.

But it was during one of those tests that Prof. Stein had collapsed. Scans showed his molecular structure becoming unstable. It was due to the Firestorm Matrix that was still within him. Without Ronnie to bond with anymore, Stein's body would go nuclear. The only solution would be to find a replacement.

They had narrowed it down to two candidates. Henry Hewitt and Jefferson Jackson. Hewitt was a scientist, so he would probably be more willing to go along with this if it meant helping society. On the other hand, Jackson was a mechanic, but his records showed him being a rising star on the football field, so he bore the physical attributes of Firestorm.

After Barry gathered a sample of blood from each of them, although unknowingly, the group was willing to overlook it as they didn't have much time before Stein would die.

Both seemed to be compatible with Stein, Jackson more than Hewitt, but it would all depend on whether either was even willing to go along with this. Unlike with their blood, this wouldn't be taken so easily.

Caitlin was assigned to talk with Hewitt, while Barry and Stein would approach Jackson.

Upon meeting, Jackson, Jax, seemed very appealing, but his reluctance to be involved with anything meta related left something to be desired. Not that it wasn't understandable. The accelerator damaged his knee beyond repair, which meant he had to give up on his football dreams that night as well as any dreams of obtaining a football scholarship to university.

In contrast, Hewitt was delighted to be invited. When learning he had the potential to become a superhero, he jumped at the chance and came to STAR Labs as fast as possible.

"Where's Jackson?" Caitlin asked as Barry and Stein returned.

"We just need to give him some time to think it over," Barry answered.

"We don't have time. The battery in the walking stick I made for Stein will only last another day at the most. After that…" Cisco trailed off.

"So let's do it now. Hewitt is willing to do this right now, and it seems that they are getting along really well," Caitlin gestured to Stein and Hewitt who were talking animatedly.

Deciding that they had no choice if they wanted to save Stein's life, Barry nodded his head. "Alright, get the splicer. Let's do this,"

Cisco went to retrieve the splicer which would allow them to merge and separate with total control of their actions. Since Hewitt was in better physical condition, it would be him wearing the splicer. It wouldn't be good if it were Stein's body being the one doing the heroics.

After adjusting the splicer to make sure everything was in place, Hewitt and Stein reached out and touched their fingers together. The physical contact between the two metas caused a small reaction that appeared to be the beginnings of them merging together, but then it stopped.

Waiting a little while to see if something else were to happen, when it became apparent nothing would Stein said, "Again,"

The two let go of each other and brought their hands back, their palms touching each other, as if forcing the both of them to merge. This time, there was no reaction at all. Their DNA must have recognized the two weren't compatible enough. It seems that little extra between Hewitt and Jax was enough of a deciding factor.

"What's happening?" Hewitt asked the group. "Something's supposed to happen, isn't it?"

Cisco sucked in his breath and bit his lower lip, cringing at the fact this happened. "Guess you two aren't as compatible as we thought," Cisco said awkwardly as he took the splicer off Hewitt's chest.

"That's it?" Hewitt asked in utter confusion and disappointment.

"Believe me, no one is as disappointed as I am," Stein sighed in resignation to his fate. Things seemed to be looking up for once.

"Don't be so sure about that," Hewitt growled at him. "Next time, don't raise a person up like that only to let them down."

No one had the heart to follow him as Hewitt left the building. This was a disappointment to them all. Now the fate of Prof. Stein lied in the hands of a man who didn't want anything to do with them.

As Hewitt was riding the elevator down to the exit, he didn't notice the sparks on his hand as he stewed in his bitterness and frustration.

* * *

Jax finally decided to come to STAR Labs, but it wasn't under the preconception he thought. Originally, Jax assumed STAR Labs would be able to fix what happened with his knee so he would be able to resume his football career. When he arrived, the team cleared up the misunderstanding that they actually brought him here because he has meta capabilities, or at least the potential to have them.

"We need you to merge with Prof. Stein. You are the only one who can save him now," Caitlin said.

"Wait a minute, this is crazy. You're saying I'm like one of those metahumans I keep hearing about on the news?" Jax asked.

"Yeah," Cisco confirmed. "You have the same meta potential as Prof. Stein over there. The ability of combustion, not to mention you can fly which is pretty sweet,"

"You can do all of that?" Jax asked the professor.

"Only in times when I have merged with a partner," Stein said.

"And you want me to be this partner?" Jax asked.

Everyone nodded as they waited for his reaction upon the revelation. They weren't sure what they expected, but laughing was pretty low on the list.

"You're all joking me right?" Jax laughed it off. Upon seeing their serious expressions, Jax immediately sobered up. "You're not joking?"

"We couldn't be more serious," Stein said.

"No." Jax said. "No, I'm not doing this. I like how my life is. I'm not going to change it. I need to stay and help take care of my mom,"

"Jax wait," Barry called out to him, but Jax wasn't listening anymore as he was making his way to the exit.

"Well what are we going to do now?" Cisco asked as they stared solemnly at the professor. Jax was their last hope and they probably wouldn't be able to find another candidate fast enough.

"That kid is unbelievable," Caitlin said.

"Caitlin, don't go there. You don't know him, you don't know what he's been through," Barry lightly scolded her.

"He gave up the chance to be a superhero. Who does that? Barry you didn't hesitate when people needed you despite everything I said to you," Caitlin said.

"Jax isn't me. He has his own opinions and views of the world. We can't force him to do this," Barry said.

"Cisco, would you want to be a superhero?" Caitlin addressed the engineer.

"The chance to have powers? Sign me up," Cisco said, a little awkwardly. And the way he was pulling on his ear raised alarms in Barry's head that there was something going on with him, but Barry decided to address it at a later date, there was something more important at the moment.

Caitlin gestured to Cisco, emphasizing her point. "This just proves Jax doesn't have what it takes for these powers,"

Caitlin started walking to the exit. "Where are you going, Ms. Frosty?" Barry called out to her.

"To get Hewitt back Fleet Feet. We have to try with him again," Caitlin responded.

* * *

Caitlin actually decided to put off meeting Hewitt a second time tomorrow. It had been a stressful day with Stein possibly dying and their only possibilities either not working out or outright refusing to help. She needed to take a breath before doing anything else.

Thank god she did because the next day it was revealed something had destroyed the lab Hewitt was working out of, and the destruction reminded everyone of the scorch marks caused by Firestorm.

Since Firestorm was currently only half as strong and out of commission, the only possibility was this was Hewitt's doing. "The attempted merge between Hewitt and Stein must have activated Hewitt's dormant meta abilities,"

"That's not good. Especially if what half is true in his police record," Cisco commented.

"Police record? I didn't find a police record," Caitlin said, confused.

"Of course you didn't. It was sealed. But your boy hacked in. Who is the best hacker in the world?" Cisco asked.

"Felicity Smoak," Barry and Caitlin both said at the same time. At the sound of their voices speaking at the same time, they both turned to each other. On the one hand, it was funny teasing Cisco. On the other, they hated how they were doing things together and the fact they were still staring at each other with no indication of looking away.

Luckily it seemed Cisco was oblivious of their silent interaction and managed to pull them away with his voice. "Yo, that's not friendship," Cisco said, a little hurt, but he knew they were just teasing him.

Regardless, Cisco pulled up what was within the sealed record. "Looks like Hewitt has been charged with multiple accounts of assault and battery. Court issued mandatory anger management counselling,"

"He seemed like such a nice guy," Caitlin commented, shocked at how much she didn't know what was behind that smile of his.

"Well, what do we do about him?" Barry asked.

"We're going to have to find him. Maybe we can talk him down," Caitlin said.

"If Hewitt's powers are anything like Firestorm, we're gonna need some help," Barry commented. "Think you're up for it?" Barry addressed Caitlin. Having an ice meta deal with their troublesome fire meta would be helpful.

"If it comes down to it, I'll help however I can," Caitlin agreed.

At that moment, Prof. Stein started coughing erratically and his hand on the cane started trembling, obviously about to give out. Barry rushed forward before Stein could fall to the ground.

"Quick, put him in the medical bay. I need to look over his condition," Caitlin called to him.

Cisco picked up the cane and opened it up to inspect the battery. "This thing's run out of juice. We don't have anymore time,"

"Prof. Stein, just hold on a little longer," Barry said.

* * *

Once Stein had been stabilized and sleeping peacefully, everyone took a step back. Stein was running a fever of over 150 degrees, but that was normal considering his powers.

Cisco went to the monitor, trying to find where Hewitt could be, while Caitlin took a walk in the halls trying to clear her mind. Barry decided to follow her.

"What's going through your mind Ms. Frosty?" Barry asked her.

"Nothing that concerns you Fleet Feet," Caitlin glared at him in response.

"Look, I know with everything going on, things seem really hard right now," Barry said.

Caitlin scoffed at him. "What do you know about hardships? Everything seems to be handed to you on a silver plate,"

Barry sighed. It didn't look like he was going to get her to talk. He decided to try a different angle. "Why were you so insistent on Hewitt being Firestorm?"

"He seemed like the safe choice. I felt I could rely on the fact he wanted to do this," Caitlin said.

"But it didn't work out. Even when we saw the Firestorm Matrix reject Hewitt, you were still so insistent that he needed to be the right choice. Jax is our only option right now. That's who we need to convince to do this," Barry said.

"I know. I don't understand why this was so hard for me. Hewitt seemed like a great person, but even when I knew he was no longer an option, I don't know why I didn't accept that," Caitlin admitted.

"Sometimes, there are great possibilities right in front of our eyes, but we don't see them because we choose not to. I think we need to be open to the idea of exploring something new," Barry said, remembering something similar Joe said to him once.

"I didn't know that you are quite a philosopher yourself, Fleet Feet." She teased after thinking about what he said.

"Something Joe said to me once, Ms. Frosty. I think he was trying to give me the courage to ask Becky Cooper to my school dance," Barry said.

"Well that explains it," Caitlin chuckled. "But I think you have the right idea,"

* * *

Caitlin stood in front of the repair shop where Jax worked with Barry on her side, he insisted on coming there with her. He put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a small smile to calm her nerves, knowing she was probably nervous. She had to admit, he can be pretty encouraging when he can.

"Get your hands off of me, Fleet Feet. Your hand might be really dirty, you'll ruin my clothes." She said to him while stepping away from him, though her words didn't have any venom in them, rather it was fondness.

"My hands are pretty clean, thank you very much, Ms. Frosty." He grinned, knowing fully well that she was just teasing him.

They both laughed, this is one of the moments that Barry could see why he married her in the future but he can't feel this way towards her. He shouldn't. He's still getting over his mom's death again and she was still mourning the death of Ronnie, although she's rebounding Jay.

"So, shall we get inside, Fleet Feet?"

"Yes, we shall, Ms. Frosty."

They both entered the shop to find Jax working under a car while Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On is still playing.

"Is that your favourite song or what?" Barry asked the mechanic, announcing their presence.

"Speak for yourself, Fleet Feet. Your favourite song is Poker Face." Caitlin teased, making Barry's face flush.

"Hey! At least it's not Summer Nights." Barry retorted, now it's Caitlin who flushed red from the teasing.

"Are you just gonna stand there and flirt with each other all day?" Jax asked the two meta.

"What? We're not flirting. That-that's just us bantering. A not-so-friendly banter that is." Barry tried to explain but he was stuttering.

"Yeah, me and this idiot are not happening. Not in a million years." Caitlin confirmed, but Jax didn't buy it.

"Really, huh? Could've fooled me?" He still looked at the both of them in a weird way.

"That's not important right now," Barry said, trying to lead the conversation away from the prospect of him dating Caitlin. "The reason we came here is that we needed to talk with you,"

"If this is about me merging with Grey, you can forget about it. I've already told you I'm not interested," Jax said.

"Look, if you do this, you'll be saving his life, and be getting powers out of this in the process," Caitlin said, trying to convince him.

"Not interested. I like how my life is right now. I'm not doing anything that could disrupt it," Jax stated.

"I looked at your school records Jax. Your grades were good enough to get you into any college you wanted, but you didn't. Instead you're wasting away here. Why is that?" Caitlin asked.

"You want to know why? My mom and I aren't that well off. If I wanted to go to college, I needed a scholarship. Football was going to be my way in, but after the accelerator exploded, I busted my knee and the calls stopped coming in," Jax explained.

"We can't promise you everything you lost, but all we can give you is a new purpose. You can help people, starting with Prof. Stein," Barry said.

"And what if I don't want that? No offence, I'm sure Grey is a great guy, but I don't know him. Why should I uproot my life for him?" Jax asked.

"Sometimes, people don't get the choice to be the hero. Sometimes you need to answer the call of duty because there's no one else that will. Because it's the right thing to do," Barry said.

"My husband, Ronnie," Caitlin started to say.

"You have a husband?" Jax interrupted her, shocked. With the way these two were interacting, he would have thought they would be married.

"Had," Caitlin corrected him. "He used to be the person Stein would merge with, but he died when he flew up into the black hole, trying to close it,"

"That flaming man on the news," Jax remembered hearing about that. "That was him?"

"Yeah. He was a hero that day, because there was no one else that could." Caitlin said. "We're not asking you to do this to become a hero, we're asking you to do this because you are the only one who can save Prof. Stein,"

"Well isn't that touching," a voice called out behind them.

Turning around, they saw Henry Hewitt strolling towards them with his flames encircling him menacingly. He fired a warning shot at them that burned several tires. It was clear he was here, either to get rid of Jax, or to convince the two STAR Labs employees to bring him back to Stein.

Either way, they needed to get out of there as fast as possible.

Without thinking, Barry sped himself, Caitlin, and Jax away to STAR Labs. They needed to stop Hewitt but Prof. Stein's life is the more pressing matter right now.

Jax was shocked. He was just standing with Barry and Caitlin, the next minute, he's standing at the Cortex once again with Caitlin, who has the same expression as him and an exhausted Barry. He pieced the pieces inside of his head. Barry is The Flash.

"You're The Flash?" Jax asked in awe.

"Yeah." The red clad speedster replied. "Now, I know that you don't want to be a hero but Prof. Stein needs you. But if you accept our offer, you would be constantly linked to Prof. Stein. What do you say?"

"I say let's save Grey." Jax replied, surprising all of them, even himself.

"I'll get the splicer." Cisco said before disappearing into his lab.

"And I'll get Prof. Stein ready." Caitlin left too, leaving Barry and Jax to themselves.

"Thank you so much for doing this. You have no idea how much this means to us," Barry thanked Jax.

"Hey, no problem. I'm just doing what you told me. Saving people, one person at a time. Grey's just the first one," Jax said. "So what's going on between you and the doctor?"

Barry groaned. Another one. "Why does everyone always assume Cait and I are in a relationship?"

"Because you say things like that. You call her Cait," Jax pointed out.

"Lots of people call Ms. Frosty Cait. That's nothing special," Barry said.

"How many people call her Ms. Frosty?" Jax questioned.

Barry shrugged. "Just me,"

"And you don't know why people think you're a couple?"

"She called me Fleet Feet. I had to think of something,"

Jax just face-palmed. These two had nicknames for each other. How dense can these people be?

A loud siren came on the system, alerting the group to a meta sighting. Cisco rushed to the computer to check what it was. "We've got trouble. Our little rejected Firestorm Matrix is wreaking havoc. We need to get a move on,"

"Even against a deficient Firestorm, I'm not sure I'll be able to safely handle this. I could really use Caitlin's help on this," Barry said.

"Let me just get changed. Can't go out fighting villains in my doctor uniform," Caitlin said, leaving the room.

"While she's busy getting ready, we can get Jax to merge with Stein right now. Having Firestorm with us will really help," Barry said. "Do you have the splicer ready?"

"I got it right here. Just wake up the professor and I'll get Jax prepped," Cisco said, holding up the splicer in his hand.

Barry walked over to the bed and lightly shook Stein awake. "Professor wake up,"

"Five more minutes Clarissa," Stein mumbled, obviously a little delirious due to his weakening state.

"Professor I need you to get up right now. Jax is here," Barry said, grabbing Stein's glasses off the table.

At the mention of Jax's name, Stein began to wake up, now aware of his surroundings. "Jax?"

Barry nodded in confirmation. "We're going to save you," Barry began to help Stein out of bed and offered himself as support in order for Stein to walk out to the Cortex.

"So here's the shortened version of it. Put this on, touch Stein, and the two of you should merge," Cisco said, pressing the splicer into Jax's chest.

"You came back," Stein said in amazement. Stein thought they scared him off after the talk of giving up his life to save Stein's.

"It's like my coach always said to me. Never leave a man behind," Jax smiled at him.

With that, the two reached out to each other and the transformation was instantaneous. The two were engulfed in a storm of flames and when they receded showed Jax with flames emitting from his head and hands and his eyes were now pure white.

"Jax?" Barry asked tentatively. "Is Prof. Stein…?"

"How will I know?" Jax asked before pausing for a moment, obviously hearing Stein's voice in his head. "So I get Grey as my co-pilot?"

"Alright, we're just waiting on Caitlin," Barry said.

"Well wait no further," a feminine voice sounded behind them as they all turned to see who it was.

As soon as Barry saw her, he froze. Not literally. She looked… different. It wasn't strange for him to see her transformed state after their many mock battles. He had grown accustomed to seeing Caitlin with white hair, blue lips, and glowing eyes. It wasn't until now that he realized he never saw her in her hero uniform.

The suit was more of a dress that was made to be able to allow her the freedom to move and fight. It was a sleeveless dark blue dress that bordered on black. To cover her arms she wore long leather gloves that left only her shoulders exposed. The dress had little sparkles with a giant snowflake on her centre. Barry tried not to look directly at it because it was also where her… assets were.

Barry mentally slapped himself before drool started pouring out of his mouth. Barry cursed the fact that these suits had to be form fitting. It just wasn't fair.

"Well?" Caitlin raised an eyebrow at the silence. "Where are we going?"

* * *

The three heroes made it to the scene which was the football field where Jax was initially injured. Henry Hewitt was using his powers to draw the energy out of the lights and systems into himself, making him more powerful.

"Cisco!" Barry shouted into his comms. "Cut the power to the lights so he can't obtain any more power."

"On it," they heard Cisco respond.

Soon the entire field went dark with only the two fire metas as their constant sources of light. Barry sped down to the field to grab any stragglers that had been left behind and carried them to a safer location. Somewhere that didn't contain an angry, unstable fire metahuman.

When Barry returned, he saw Caitlin fire a stream of ice to cool off Hewitt. Hewitt responded by firing his own flames to intercept them. The two collided, but the ice managed to overpower the flames in the end.

Caitlin's powers weren't actually ice or cold. Her powers worked as the opposite of flames. Instead of producing heat like Jax or Hewitt, she absorbed the heat into herself leaving ice and frost as a product. She was just able to control it to the degree that she could leave behind ice structures to fit her liking. Add in the fact that she had been using these powers for the past two years while Hewitt had only had his own for a mere few days just meant Caitlin had the advantage over him.

The blast of ice managed to make direct contact with Hewitt, but the second Caitlin let up, Hewitt melted right through any of the ice particles left on him.

Jax decided to try his luck by firing his flames at him. Being a complete Firestorm Matrix, he should have the natural advantage over him.

When Hewitt saw Firestorm hovering in the air above him, an inferno of rage sparked in his eyes. He fired his own blast of flames, even larger than the one before.

Despite having the natural advantage, Jax was overpowered due to the few days of experience Hewitt had over him.

"Stein! You chose him over me?" Hewitt glowered. "That's who I'm supposed to be! I should have the Firestorm Matrix,"

As his rage increased, the three heroes noticed how his flames increased as well.

Barry ran to make sure Jax was okay. "You good?"

"I used to be a quarterback," Jax dismissed his concerns. "I know how to take a hit,"

"Guys, cutting the power didn't help. It's like the angrier he gets the more powerful he becomes,"

"That's it!" Caitlin exclaimed. "The more powerful he becomes, the more unstable he should be. We need to make him angrier and he should blow his fuse,"

"Up for a game of 'Catch Me If You Can?'" Barry asked Jax.

"I'm always up for a good game," Jax responded.

"Hey Hewitt. What do you think you're doing?" Barry yelled at the man, running right up to him but making sure to maintain a distance so he would be safe from the heat. "It's such a waste of power,"

Hewitt growled in anger as he shot another blast of fire, this time trying to keep up with the speedster.

"Uh-oh. You missed. You need some practise doctor," Barry antagonized the angry meta.

"No wonder you didn't make the cut if that's how you fight," Jax teased him.

Hewitt grunted in frustration. In his distracted state, he didn't notice the ice meta directly behind him. Which she shot another blast of ice into his back causing him to stumble.

"No need for such a cold shoulder doctor. Nobody needs you anymore," Caitlin laughed at him.

Soon all three of them were openly laughing at the meta, which made Hewitt even madder which is exactly what they were aiming for.

Shaking in anger, Hewitt yelled in frustration, letting go all of his power at once. Both Caitlin and Jax were able to easily withstand the blast, whilst Barry ran to a safe distance to avoid a nasty burn.

Once the explosion was over they saw in the middle of the field the unconscious body of Henry Hewitt. Looked like he finally ran out of juice.

* * *

"What are you still doing here?" Barry asked from the entrance of the Cortex. "We are going to a bar tonight, you coming?"

"I'm just updating the information we have about Firestorm. You should go, I'll catch up later." The ice meta replied before turning back to her work.

"I know that it's hard for you to see Ronnie be replaced. I know that you are still hurting over him because if I'm gonna be honest, I'm still getting over…" Barry trailed off as he remembered the night his mom died, the night where he couldn't save her.

"What are you on about, Fleet Feet?"

"I just don't want you to be alone Ms. Frosty."

"Well no offense, but you are the last person I would want with me right now," Caitlin turned her back towards him again.

Caitlin soon changed the image on the screen depicting Firestorm consisting of Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein to Jefferson Jackson and Martin Stein.

After doing so, Caitlin just stared at the screen for a moment longer. Barry felt that he was intruding on a private moment for her so he decided to leave her alone for the time being.

* * *

On the way to the bar, Barry stopped right outside of Jitters because he caught sight of a certain woman who was enraptured in her folders. The sight of Patty so dedicated to her work brought a smile to Barry's face.

After having that talk with Caitlin, it gave him a bit of confidence that he sorely needed when it came to Patty. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he began strolling towards the entrance of Jitters with the full intention of asking Patty to go out with him.

Before he could however, a giant hand swooped in and grabbed him, lifting Barry up into the air and squeezing the life out of him.

The massive hand turned Barry around so he was now face to face with the person who grabbed him. It was a shark. A giant, walking shark.

"Flash," the creature growled. "Zoom wants you dead,"

Barry had no idea how the shark meta knew he was The Flash. He wasn't in his hero outfit and he hadn't been using his powers. He was actually walking instead of running because he wanted the time to think. Regardless he needed to get out of this shark's grip or else he would black out.

Before Barry could start vibrating to phase out of the shark's grip, it immediately loosened and the shark body collapsed forward.

Once Barry was able to catch his breath after being almost choked to death, he took a look at his savior. The hooded figure was wearing all black and was pointing a smoking gun at the collapsed body. The person tried to make a break for it, but Barry ran forward with his speed and managed to easily catch up to him and removed his hood at the same time.

Once the hood was off, the figure was revealed to be, "Harrison Wells?" Barry gasped in shock.

* * *

**Firestorm is back. Not that we'll be seeing much of him, but Harry Wells has arrived. And we've got another person clamouring for Barry and Caitlin to get together.**

**Barry has finally acknowledged that Caitlin is a very beautiful woman. But he's still pining after Patty. They're both so oblivious, sometimes it's funny. Other times it's just so frustrating, but I have a plan I am sticking to.**

**Hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter. If you have something you want to ask, go ahead, leave a comment or PM me. I'm always open to questioning. Stay safe everyone.**


	17. Inner Desires

**This week has gone by so fast. Is everyone excited for summer? We'll finally be able to get out of our houses without fear. At least I hope so. For this chapter, I've done something a little different. I hope you like what I've done. As always, my co-authors are Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen.**

**Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to anything CW related.**

* * *

Barry had brought Wells back to STAR Labs where they kept him locked in a room. He had a bed and a bathroom so it wasn't like they were treating him as a criminal. Still, it wasn't easy looking at the face of the man who tricked them all.

"It's strange how I'm reading my autobiography but don't recognize any of it. Even more strange considering I didn't write it," Earth-2 Harrison Wells commented after reading through the book.

"You think it's strange? You're the one who murdered Barry's mother," Cisco commented.

"Yeah, but that wasn't even Harrison Wells. That was Eobard Thawne who'd taken over the body of Harrison Wells, and posed as him for over a decade," Caitlin rambled on the history of their Harrison Wells, who they actually never even met.

"I didn't understand any of that. I'm my own person. The Harrison Wells that you know, that's not me. So don't associate him with me," Wells told them.

"You!" a voice called out from the hall. Everyone turned to look for the source of the voice who was revealed to be Jay. "How did you get here?"

"Jay Garrick. Why am I not surprised to find you hiding out here on this Earth?" Harrison taunted him.

"I'm not hiding. After my fight with Zoom I was pulled into a breach and lost my speed. I've been here ever since," Jay glowered at him.

"Fighting? Oh please, you spent your entire hero career running, running, running from Zoom. Because you were scared, because you could never keep up," Harrison glared at him.

"I risked my life to help the people of Central City. I tried to stop Zoom," Jay defended himself.

"You helped?" Harrison questioned him. "Please, I've seen the reports. I've done the calculations and Barry is three times faster than you've ever gone and he's only been a hero for two years."

Enraged, Jay punched Wells in the face. The slight discolouration made it clear it would be leaving a bruise.

Recoiling slightly, Wells launched back with a punch of his own, Jay not having any time to dodge the attack.

"Do everyone a favour Garrick. Leave the superhero work to the real heroes. You're just a washed up has-been," Harrison said.

With everything said, the two people from Earth-2 went their separate ways to lick their wounds, figuratively and literally.

"I guess they're not fans of each other," Caitlin murmured to herself.

* * *

"How'd we get stuck with coffee duty?" Caitlin asked the man next to her.

"Well with Wells back, Cisco doesn't want to leave the lab. Wells obviously can't leave and sometimes I'm not sure where Jay goes during the day," Barry answered her.

"Ever heard of a rhetorical question Fleet Feet? And can we not refer to him as Wells? Let's just go with Harry. Harry can be anybody," Caitlin rolled her eyes.

"You think this is easy for me Ms. Frosty?" Barry retorted. "The guy has the face of the man who crushed my mother's heart with his bare fist,"

"Wells, Thawne, whatever, pretty much ruined the Wells name for us, but let's not let Harry suffer the consequences of that." Caitlin said to him.

"Right. We're talking about an entirely different man that comes from an entirely different universe," Barry mumbled to both himself and Caitlin.

"What are you guys talking about?" a voice questioned the duo from behind.

Slightly alarmed that someone may have heard the conversation they were quietly having, they both turned around. The person behind them was a pretty blonde woman in her 20s. Caitlin didn't recognize her, but judging by the elated expression on Barry's face upon seeing her, he did.

"Patty," Barry exclaimed.

So this was the elusive Patty he kept mentioning and Iris was always complaining about. Caitlin took a harder look at the woman. She was definitely attractive, she would admit that. She could see why Barry would like her. And based on her constantly smiling face, she seemed like such a kind hearted person.

"Something about alternate dimensions?" Patty asked. "Because that would be pretty cool,"

"Did we say alternate dimensions?" Barry lightly cringed and looked to Caitlin for some help. Caitlin lightly shook her head. They needed to be more careful when discussing matters in a public setting.

They were finally at the front of the line and Caitlin turned to give their orders and provide Barry and Patty with some privacy.

For some reason, she had to fight the urge to turn around or lean in closer so she could hear what they were saying. Why was she doing that? It wasn't like she was interested in Barry's object of desire or Barry himself.

Still, she caught herself slowly turning her head in their direction more than a few times.

The barista noticed her troubled expression and offered her a muffin that she didn't order. "Here. On the house. I'm sorry about your troubles,"

Caitlin just glared at the barista. "I swear if you are about to say the man behind me is my significant other, I will scream,"

The barista blinked once. Twice. Thrice. Her mouth opened. "He's not?"

"Ughhh!" Caitlin groaned. She tilted her head back and squeezed her eyes in frustration. "Why does everyone keep thinking that?"

"Maybe it's because it's so obvious you two should be together,"

"In case you haven't noticed he seems pretty occupied with his pretty little blonde over there so obviously he's not interested in me," Caitlin said as she was forced to stay for the rest of her order to arrive.

"Do you want him to be?" the barista, Hillary, asked.

"I don't care. He can like whoever he wants. I'm not going to stand in the way of his good time," Caitlin said, a little more anger in her tone than she meant.

"What if his idea of a good time is spending it with you?" Hillary asked.

Caitlin just scoffed at the idea of Barry actually wanting to spend time with her and vice versa. "Please, now I know you are delusional to think that,"

"Well, this is just my opinion, but I think he really likes you," Hillary said as she dropped off the last of Caitlin's orders on the counter.

Caitlin just rolled her eyes as she picked up the tray of coffee to head back to where Barry was, who was still speaking with Patty.

Uggh, she felt like she just drank poison by thinking that name.

"Come on, let's go," Caitlin dragged Barry away from his conversation.

"Oh, I'll see you tomorrow night then?" Barry called out to Patty.

"It's a date," Patty smiled and waved at him as she went to place her own order at the counter.

Barry offered his own smile and gave a quick wave before Caitlin pulled him out the door.

"A date?" Caitlin questioned him.

"Yeah, I asked Patty out. Got a problem with that?" Barry confirmed.

"No. Nope. Absolutely no problems here," Caitlin gritted her teeth as they both got into her small car to drive back to STAR Labs.

* * *

"There's a robbery at the Gold City Bank. The cops are still five minutes out." Cisco said from the comms while he watched Barry raced over to the said bank.

"What do you see in there?" Cisco asked when Barry finally reached the bank.

All of the people at the bank were just staring off into space, even the staff which made Barry remember when they first encountered Rainbow Raider, except instead of them killing each other, they would just stand there with smiles on their faces.

"Everything is calm. The people are just standing around with happy expressions on their faces," Barry relayed back to the team.

Barry continued to look around, trying to find what could have caused these people's strange behaviour. He noticed some movement within the open vault. The robber must still be here and they might have some answers. "I'll be right back,"

Barry cautiously stepped into the vault. He saw a man clad in a spandex suit with a large mask. The mask showed the face of a clock. The man was still stuffing his bags with wads of bills. Barry needed to get this guy's attention.

"So, you like stealing?" He asked while leaning on the vault's entrance, successfully getting the meta's attention.

"Flash. Yes, stealing is my desire but you, what do you desire?" The man lifted his mask to show his face and suddenly Barry felt a pang of hurt in his head before everything became a blur.

Once everything was back into focus, Barry was back in his childhood home once again. He was screaming at his mom that was trapped within the lightning storm. The wind was blowing in all their faces, but just as soon as the lightning appeared, it vanished as well. Aside from the displaced items in the room, it was as if the lightning was never there in the first place.

The family of three let out a sigh of relief that nothing had gone wrong and they all embraced each other. Suddenly it was as if everything had gone fast forward.

Barry was attending and graduating school with both his parents there to congratulate him. He'd gotten into the university he'd always wanted. Moving out of the house with his mom and dad helping to pack up. Introducing various girls to his parents that they welcomed with open arms. Getting his dream job at CCPD.

Everything was as it should be.

* * *

"BARRY! BARRY!" Caitlin worriedly yelled to the comms, watching Barry's vital go haywire.

"We need to go there ourselves." Caitlin said before standing up and walking to her lab, where she kept her suit.

"I'll go get the van ready." Cisco said but before he could exit the Cortex, he was stopped by Caitlin who was already in her suit.

"There's no time." Caitlin used her powers to create an ice slide to get there faster.

By the time Caitlin arrived on the scene, the meta must have already escaped because there wasn't anyone moving. It was just as Barry described. The bank was filled with frozen statues of people showing varying degrees of happiness.

There were a few people that were blinking rapidly as if they weren't sure what they were seeing. They seemed to be the people that were beginning to awaken from whatever trance they were put in.

Caitlin made her way to the vault to find Barry standing there with a dopey expression on his face. "Barry?" Caitlin asked to see if he was even aware she was there.

She waved a hand in his face repeatedly but there was still no reaction. Deciding to just get the heck out of there, Caitlin encased her fist in ice and clonked him on the head. That promptly knocked him out as he collapsed to the ground. Caitlin caught him and began dragging him away and back to STAR Labs. It was a hassle and not easy but she managed.

Caitlin placed him on a bed and hooked him up with the regular monitors they used whenever something like this happened. They would help to determine anything that was wrong with him, at least on a physical level. If it was anything mental, they would just have to wait for him to wake up.

In the meantime they would look into what happened at the bank. A few of the people were already waking up from whatever happened to them when Caitlin left. The police should already be on the scene and interviewing witnesses. They'd call Joe and see what he could tell them.

* * *

When Barry finally awoke, they gathered a sufficient amount of data on their new meta in the time between.

According to Joe, many of the witnesses they met were still under a trance and the ones they could talk to were dealt with much confusion. They couldn't seem to recall what they were doing beforehand and talked with much insanity. Some of the things they said made no sense. There were the few that weren't that far gone, such as being married whilst still single. But there were accounts saying they had been living underwater and the like.

Based on that, it seemed as if all these people experienced something that made them truly happy.

Then what about Barry? What was it that he experienced? Most likely it was about his parents. Maybe falling in love. With her. AND BY 'HER' CAITLIN MEANT PATTY! That's exactly who she was talking about.

Caitlin decided to take a chance and talk to Jay about this. Being a more experienced hero from another Earth, he may have experienced something similar.

It turned out Jay had encountered a meta very similar to this one. So similar it may in fact be the same one. Charles Howlett. Nicknamed 'Hypnotick' for his powers of hypnosis and the irritation he caused to the people of Central City like a bug.

With one look into his eyes, he triggered the reward centres in the brain that would showcase the victim's greatest desire.

After doing a search on their own Charles Howlett, they concluded the man did not exist on their Earth so it was looking more likely this was another meta from Earth-2.

So when Barry finally opened his eyes, nobody was surprised when the first thing he said was, "Give me five more minutes mom,"

Everybody was slightly depressed at the fact Barry would have to come to the realization that his mother was long-dead again.

Once Barry was fully awake and no longer under the influence of Howlett's powers, the team explained the situation to him, about the new meta and the powers he wielded, as well as the fact this most likely was another meta from Earth-2 since Charles Howlett doesn't exist on Earth-1.

"Listen Barry, I've dealt with Hypnotick before. He's a robber, not a killer. You can talk to him," Jay advised him.

"He didn't seem up for conversation when I met him," Barry said.

"Just avoid looking directly at him. Howlett was once a normal citizen, but when his powers came he went on a crime spree. Try to remind him of who he used to be,"

"I'll give it a try," Barry agreed. "Seeing as how you have the most experience with him, where do you think he'd go now?"

"Well since he's gotten away with the cash, he'd probably look into spending it as soon as he can, but if Zoom sent him here, it was obviously with a purpose."

"To kill me," Barry said.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Jay told him.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna get myself some coffee. Anybody want to come with me?" Caitlin called out to the team.

"I'll come. Always up for stretching my legs. I seem to spend all my time cooped up in this lab," Jay responded as he made his way over to her.

The two exited the lab and proceeded to head to Jitters.

"Those two seem to be hitting it off," Barry said, glancing in the direction they left.

"Are you jealous?" Cisco asked with a little hopefulness in his tone.

"What? Are you kidding?" Barry asked. "I feel sorry for the guy. He has no idea what he's getting into with her,"

"To think you used to hate him," Cisco said.

"I didn't trust him. There's a big difference," Barry corrected him.

Suddenly a notification went off on Barry's phone. When he pulled it out, he saw several messages that needed his immediate attention now that he was the CEO of STAR.

"Where's the printer? There's a few files I need to print out," Barry asked Cisco.

"There's one in my workstation. You know the way?" Cisco told him.

"Yeah. Thanks," Barry headed out in the general direction of where he knew Cisco made all his inventions.

Cisco sighed, trying to relax himself. There was so much going on. The revelation of infinite dimensions, a demonic speedster that was reaching to become the only speedster. The fact his two best friends that were supposed to be together, were now pining after two different people, and now this meta they had absolutely no idea what to do about.

At the most, he focused on finding Hypnotick. That was a lame name in his opinion. If he was in charge of naming these Earth-2 metas, he would have gone in an entirely different direction. Like 'Mesmerize'. That was a decent name. Hypnotick just sounded lazy.

Suddenly it was like he was transported to an entirely different world. Almost as if he was sent into a TV and was watching what was happening in the flesh.

Taking a look at his surroundings, he saw he was in some kind of alleyway, but there was nobody there.

A breach appeared out of nowhere that spit out two people. One of them was sprawled on the ground while the other was looming over the other. The blue lightning that was covering the standing figure indicated they were a speedster. Could this be Zoom?

"Kill the Flash," the black clad speedster growled. "Or you will never go back home,"

The speedster returned through the breach, leaving the other trapped on the other side. Cisco went forward to get a better look at the person since it was so dark. The man didn't even seem to notice him, which wasn't that surprising. Cisco still got a good look at him before he donned his clock mask to cover his features, but the few brief moments before he did, Cisco got lost in his eyes. In them, he could see the happiness he could have experienced had his brother and he gotten along at all in their lives. It was over soon and Cisco was brought back to the present.

What was that?

* * *

"Mesmerize is at Keystone City Bank, he's slowly expanding his range. I think that he's trying to escape from Central City. Or more specifically…" Cisco trailed off.

"From Zoom." Jay continued with a nod.

"It's Hypnotick, not Mesmerize." Harry told the engineer, who cringed in return.

"Okay, new rule. All metahumans that go to Earth-1, this earth, or Central City, I name them." Cisco said, turning to the doppelganger of Wells.

"Either way, we need to find a way to stop him before he causes anymore trouble." Barry said before an argument between Cisco and Harry began.

"What if we use Charles Howlett to bring out Zoom?" Caitlin suggested as all of them turned their attention towards her. "I mean, we can lure Zoom out and stop him, as well as stop Howlett. That way we can kill two birds with one stone."

"We already tried that with Slick, it didn't work," Barry reminded her. "He wouldn't talk. What's to say this guy won't be the same?"

"Just gonna have to ask him." Caitlin responded. "Jay said he was once a normal civilian. Who's to say he won't be more willing to lend a hand?"

"Let's focus on Hypnotick-"

"-Mesmerize!" Cisco cut in with his own name for the metahuman.

"-Before we start looking to pick a fight with Zoom." Barry continued to say. "We still don't even know how to find Zoom, so that's still a long ways off,"

Barry flashed to his suit and ran out to the bank in the hopes of being able to stop the Earth-2 meta.

* * *

As soon as Barry arrived, he rushed everyone out of the bank. Howlett's powers may not be combat oriented, but that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous.

"Howlett!" Barry shouted to the bank.

"Flash," a voice drew. "You found out who I am. Colour me impressed, you must have a little secret Earth-2 agent on your side. Did you like what I did? Enjoyed yourself in your little fantasy?"

"Return the money you stole and come with me quietly. I don't want to hurt you," Barry demanded.

"It's funny that you think you can." Howlett chuckled. "Let me tell you something, do you think it's strange that someone with my abilities actually managed to stay out of the hands of the police for so long? How do my skills make me on par with those in league with Zoom?"

Barry remained silent. Mostly because he didn't have an answer. He didn't know this man's past, they didn't even have a doppelganger to base his history off of. He really wasn't provided much in terms to who Charles Howlett was.

"It's not just because my powers paralyze them with ecstasy. It's because they let me go," Hypnotick briefly explained. "And you're going to do the same,"

"Not this time," Barry mumbled loud enough so it could be heard by him.

Barry rushed forward. If he could get him before he unveiled his mask, he wouldn't be affected by his powers. Luckily he did. Barry managed to punch Howlett in the gut.

Howlett staggered forward in order to comfort himself.

Barry was an idiot to ever let him have a moment of rest.

As Howlett straightened himself, he removed his mask to reveal his tantalizing eyes. Barry tried to look away, but the extreme calmness he was experiencing made him keep looking. It wasn't just his eyes that held power it seemed. It was as if Howlett's entire being radiated a wave of pleasure. The feeling was addictive, and he had still yet to experience his vision.

This time he was being cheered by the whole city. His team stood behind him as the crowd applauded them for being the heroes they were.

Barry liked to think he was fairly modest compared to Caitlin's view of his arrogance, but he will admit it was gratifying to see millions of people cheering his name with memorabilia of his insignia everywhere. Before him was what he would like to call 'The Flash Sea.'

"FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!" Everyone cheered his name.

Barry smiled to the crowd and raised his hand high in the air. This only prompted the people to cheer even louder.

"Thank you! Thank you everyone! I love you all too!" Barry shouted to the crowd.

There was something in the back of his mind that was telling him he should be focusing on something else at the moment. He dismissed it though. What else could be on his mind other than the fact that everyone he loved was with him cheering his name?

"BARRY! BARRY! BARRY!" Wait. When did they start to chant his actual name? And this time the cheers weren't encouraging. These sounded of desperation.

Barry took a look around, but could find no source of the person who called his name. Those who actually knew who he was stood behind him and they all had cheerful smiles on their faces.

But still, the voice persisted. He frowned, and that was when he felt an impact on his face that caused him to stumble.

What was that? What just hit him? That only caused him to become more concerned. Which only served for him to feel more pain.

There was something he was supposed to be doing. But what? Come to think of it, he couldn't seem to remember what he was doing here or how he got there.

Seeing himself on a stage with tons of people in front of him reminded him of the last time he was in a similar situation. On Flash Day where everyone convinced him to make a speech. This isn't what he wanted.

"_Being a hero is about doing what's right just because it's right. By putting other people before yourself no matter what. It's about making a difference. That's what I strive to be," Barry spoke into the microphone._

As soon as Barry came to that realization, his focus came back and he found himself lying on the floor with a man, Charles Howlett wailing on his face.

Not letting him continue any longer, Barry pushed him off and landed several speed shots that left him incapacitated.

"How?!" Howlett shouted. "How did you break free? Nobody ever breaks free,"

Barry just stared at the defeated man before him. Looking into his eyes, he didn't feel anything. That feeling of ecstasy disappeared and he was shown nothing. "I'm already happy," he answered before delivering the final blow to his head.

* * *

Howlett woke up at the pipeline, he was greeted with four blue walls, there was no door. He tried to search for anything but he failed, there were only four walls. It was like Peek-a-boo's cell.

"Are you ready to talk now, Howlett?" Barry asked. He was standing in front of Howlett's cell, watching him try to escape the containment cell.

"Is that you, Flash?! Why don't you be a good hero and show yourself?!" Howlett yelled at one of the walls.

"I need to know more about Zoom. What can you tell me about him?"

"What? Thinking of taking him down yourself?" He scoffed. "You wouldn't even last a minute with him. He's a demon. He terrorized my Earth alone. You wouldn't stand a chance against him." Howlett told the Scarlet Speedster.

Barry sighed before closing the entrance to the pipeline. Howlett is a lot more reluctant than Jay said he would be, they need to think of another plan. He walked back to the Cortex, where everyone heard his conversation with Howlett.

"He's not talking. He won't."

"Maybe you didn't try hard enough." Jay said to him, glaring at the speedster.

"I think we need to go about this in a different direction," Caitlin suggested. "Try talking to the human side of him instead,"

"Howlett wasn't always like this. It wasn't until he developed his powers that he showed who he truly was," Harry reminded them.

"Okay, I'll talk to him again," Barry agreed, nodding his head as he headed down to the pipeline to confront the meta again. He was really the only one who could since his powers no longer worked on Barry.

Barry brought the cell containing Hypnotick, which Cisco still insisted was Mesmerize, towards him as he opened the entrance to the Pipeline once again.

"Back so soon? Finally came to the realization of what you need to do?" Charles taunted him, but he was still looking in a different direction.

"Why did you join Zoom?" Barry decided to ask. Questioning him upfront about Zoom wasn't going to get them anywhere. They needed to slowly transition the conversation to that topic.

"Because I'm a meta," Howlett said, as if that one sentence would explain everything.

"On my Earth, if you're a meta you've got three options. Die, sell yourself to the highest bidder, or join Zoom," he explained.

"When I learned about my powers I was beaten and stuffed into a bag. A lot of people pay big bucks to witness their greatest desires come to life, even if it's just for a few minutes," Howlett continued to say. "I was smuggled from border to border. My powers were addictive, I was better than drugs, they said."

"I hated every second of it. I was nothing more than a tool. A quick way to make a few bucks for my kidnappers. That's when I truly learned about people. They're all nothing but trash, just thinking about themselves. Selfish bastards who'd do anything for a good fix,"

"What about Zoom?" Barry asked. "When did he come in?"

"Two years in, Zoom was on the hunt for every meta he could find to join his cause. Agreed to set me free if I pledged my loyalty to him. I didn't look back after that,"

"You called Zoom a demon, now he's your saviour?" Barry asked.

"He took us in. Gave us a home, a purpose, a new chance at life. If the world was gonna turn their back on us, we aren't going to play by their rules," Howlett said. "People say he's a demon. Evil incarnate, Lucifer on Earth. But to us, he's a hero,"

"He left you stranded on an Earth where you don't exist, some hero," Barry said.

"New chance at life," Howlett smirked in the direction he was facing.

"How were you going to get in contact with him?" Barry asked. "You're not getting out of here either way. Just tell us,"

"I was to send him something I could only obtain by killing you. I would send it through a breach to signify whether the deed was done," Howlett said.

"What was it? What could you only get once you killed me?" Barry questioned him, but Howlett once again turned silent. He wasn't going to talk anymore.

* * *

**I've written out Linda and created an OC. Well, not exactly. If you've read my co-authors story, Another Life on Consolidated Planets, you'll realize Charles Howlett is a character we created together. Fun fact, he was supposed to be evil in the original story but that got scrapped and he turned out to be a good guy. If anybody is interested in how that was going to turn out, you can message me.**

**Hope everyone's having a good Friday. Caitlin's mind is starting to wander to the possibility of Barry being in love with her. Also, I'm wondering if anyone knows where I got the inspiration for Howlett's powers. Tell me your thoughts. Anyway, I'll see you all next week.**


	18. Zooming Ahead

**Welcome to another chapter of 'I Hate You, I Guess That's Love'. So glad that people are still here. Summer has arrived, I hope everyone has plans after being stuck in their houses. Sorry this chapter is a little later in the day than usual. My co-authors are Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen.**

**Disclaimer: I have no rights to The Flash.**

* * *

"He's not talking anymore," Barry stated once he returned to the Cortex with the rest of the team.

"Still, you got him to talk. And he gave us some useful information," Cisco said. "How he was supposed to tell Zoom when he killed you,"

"Yeah, but how are we going to use it?" Barry asked.

"We know how we're going to get in touch with Zoom. We'll set a trap for him at the breach he appears through once we figure out what to send through," Harry said, already getting his gun ready.

"Think we should talk with Sand Demon again?" Iris asked.

"He was a criminal before Zoom got to him. No way we're getting through to him if we can barely get Howlett to talk," Caitlin pointed out. "Anything less than torture and these guys aren't opening up,"

"Zoom knows how to get their loyalty and makes sure they won't squeal on him," Jay agreed.

"Then we need to figure out what they needed from me to get home," Barry said as he began to close his eyes to clear his mind and concentrate.

"Jay, you've gone up against Zoom. Tell me about him," Barry asked.

"Whenever we fought, he was always the dominant one. He wouldn't let me do a thing. Made sure I knew who was the fastest between the two of us," Jay stated.

"Okay, so we know he's always in charge, takes control. He'd need something to show his power over me. Something to say I was utterly defeated," Barry spoke aloud, eliminating a few possibilities on what could be missing.

"Your head?" Joe suggested.

"My head? Don't be ridiculous Joe. That's too simple, too messy. He's a speedster, a scalpel. He's clean and efficient. He wouldn't bother with taking off my head,"

"Your body then?" Iris added in her two cents.

"Look at the metas he brought over. Atom Smasher, Sand Demon, King Shark, and now Hypnotick. Atom Smasher and King Shark could probably do it. Sand Demon maybe, but not Hypnotick. His abilities are based on his mental prowess. He wouldn't be able to chuck my body through a breach, at least not without a lot of effort," Barry dismissed her theory.

"It would make sense though," Cisco said, not fully dismissing the idea of using Barry's dead body to send the message.

"It would make sense, but why my body?" Barry asked. "He has no use for my body. My body is human. Zoom doesn't want a human. He wants a speedster. What about me makes me a speedster?"

"It must be staring me right in the face." Barry contemplated as he delved deeper into his thoughts. "Zoom wants to prove himself as the only speedster. He'd showcase the entire world of the speedster he defeated."

"What could he pull off of me? Something he wouldn't be able to take if I were to put up a struggle. It'd have to be something on me at all times. Something to show without a doubt he'd beaten a speedster," Barry contemplated to himself.

Looking at his team, he asked them. "Imagine me lying on the floor, dead,"

"That's a pretty picture," Caitlin said.

Barry swiftly ignored her. "You're looking for something on me. Something to prove your power that you otherwise wouldn't be able to get,"

"Something that makes you stand out against all the other metas," Cisco listed.

"Exactly, something that proves beyond a doubt I'm a speedster. What would be on me that symbolizes that I'm a speedster? That I'm The Flash…?" Barry trailed off as he looked to his suit on display.

Barry's gaze was drawn to the centrepiece of the suit. The symbol of The Flash. "The lightning," Barry mumbled.

"The lightning?" Iris asked.

"My symbol. Once I was dead, they could easily pull it off the suit and send it through a breach, letting Zoom know I was dead," Barry told them.

"And then, Zoom will come and we can trap him." Caitlin continued. "Great thinking, Fleet Feet."

"I think it's a terrible plan. If you are thinking of luring and trapping Zoom, then count me out, I'm not looking to get myself killed. You should come with me, Cait, for your protection." Jay said, extending his arm towards the ice meta.

Caitlin glanced thoughtfully at the offered arm, but in the end she moved to the rest of her team. "We're a team Jay," Caitlin said. "We don't leave each other high and dry when things get tough. We stick together and go through it till the end,"

Jay just shook his head in disbelief and turned from the rest of the group. Everyone watched him leave with varying expressions. Caitlin was saddened to see him go, whilst Harry was elated. He wouldn't be able to slow them down with his cowardice.

"I'm glad you're sticking with us Ms. Frosty," Barry patted her on the shoulder in thanks of staying with them.

"Like I said, we're a team," Caitlin said with a slightly forced smile.

"Okay, so we'll just set a trap at the breach downstairs and throw Barry's symbol through it and just wait until Zoom comes out," Cisco said.

"No, that won't work," Harry shook his head. "That breach leads to the basement of my STAR Labs. Zoom wouldn't have access to it, if he's even aware of it,"

"So we'll need to move it somewhere a little more public. Great," Joe grumbled at the realization.

"It would need to be in a controlled environment. A place where most people wouldn't go and we'd have control of the field for when Zoom appears," Caitlin pointed out.

"Pull up the map of the breaches you found," Barry asked Cisco. "We'll need to look over every one of them until we can find one with a good location to do this,"

The monitors changed to show a map of Central City with several white spots to indicate where a breach was in the city. They would need to review it to find one that would provide the best possible field advantage with the least amount of civilians as possible.

* * *

Whilst Cisco and Harry were meticulously inspecting each and every breach in the city that would provide a large enough area to set a trap for Zoom without the danger of any civilians, Barry took the time to phone Patty in order to cancel their dinner date. It was obvious this was going to go well into the night.

Barry phoned Patty, but ended up with her answering machine. '_Hey, this is Patty Spivot. I'm probably working on the job which is why I'm not answering. You know what to do.' *_BEEP*

"Hey Patty, it's Barry. Look I'm just calling because something's come up at STAR Labs. I'm sorry about dinner. Rain check?" Barry hung up the phone and walked back over to the monitor.

"Have we decided on which breach to use?" Barry asked.

"Yes we have," Harry answered. "There's a breach on the pier near an abandoned district. Hardly anybody's going to be there at night. We'll set the trap there and send the signal tonight,"

"Yeah, sounds good. How's that going by the way?" Barry looked to Cisco. He was in charge of designing the trap that would at least even the playing field between the two.

"Let's just say I have created traps within traps and leave it at that,"

"Are you ready Barry? Zoom is unlike anything you will have ever faced," Harry asked.

"Just leave it to me," Barry nodded his head.

* * *

"Are you guys in position?" The speedster asked his team. He was currently standing in front of the breach while Cisco remained at STAR Labs to monitor any vibrational anomalies. Meanwhile, Joe, Harry, and Caitlin were on standby, ready to attack Zoom the moment he stepped foot into this Earth.

"Affirmative. Ready when you are, Fleet Feet." Caitlin responded through the comms. She was hiding behind the container, wearing her own suit.

"Here we go." Barry threw his emblem through the breach. Now all they have to do is wait. Nobody was sure how long it would take for Zoom to discover the emblem, but they were prepared to wait the entire night.

They didn't have to wait long as soon the breach opened once more and out came another speedster. This one was covered in a black suit with blue lightning sparking off of its body.

The moment Zoom touched the ground, it activated the trigger that would activate Cisco's trap. A large force field encased the area surrounding the breach, leaving Zoom trapped inside.

Slowly Joe, Harry, and Caitlin came out of their hiding positions with their weapons at the ready. In Caitlin's case, her hands were aimed directly at Zoom who was speeding around in the energy field trying to find a way out.

Zoom came to a stop after realizing there was no easy way out. He turned so he could stare directly at Barry. "Flash," he growled. "You thought you could trap me?"

"In case you haven't noticed, you are trapped. There's no way you're getting out of there," Barry scoffed that he actually thought he could free himself.

Zoom just growled menacingly as he started to vibrate his fist and punched the field in front of him. The force field instead discharged a large amount of energy and forced him to retreat.

Zoom screamed in pain as he cradled his arm which was covered in soot due to the energy backlash he experienced.

"This container was designed to hold speedsters. The more you struggle, the more pain you endure." Harry sneered at him.

Zoom just ignored him and began to vibrate his other fist and launched another punch at the force field. The result was the same and the force field exerted another massive blast of energy at the point where Zoom attacked, but Zoom didn't move an inch.

The power began to build up, the energy from the force field and the power exuded from within Zoom clashed together and a massive explosion incurred, sending everyone back.

When the smoke cleared, everyone saw the force field begin to flicker before shutting down. Zoom stepped out of the area, the only indication of being affected was the soot on his suit.

"Pain is a mindset," Zoom snarled. "Pain is nothing but a distraction to the weak,"

Not wasting a second, Caitlin began to shoot several icicles at once to the black clad speedster. Zoom didn't even move. His body blurred for the briefest of seconds and the icicles passed through him.

Barry began building the power within him as well. Lightning crackled behind his eyes as his body covered itself with yellow lightning.

Seeing her initial attack having no effect, Caitlin went on a different route. She froze the ground around them. Now Zoom wouldn't have as easy of a time moving around.

Zoom managed to prove her wrong as his feet began vibrating as well. Every step he took, the large amount of kinetic energy in his feet instantly melted the ice wherever he stepped.

Joe and Harry fired their guns at him, but Zoom dodged them with ease, as if he wasn't even noticing there was any danger at all.

Barry took his own chance. He charged towards Zoom, covered in his lightning shield and gathered some of it into his hand, which he threw towards the demonic speedster.

It was all in slow motion to Zoom. The lightning bolt reached him first. Zoom stretched out his hand and grasped the bolt with utmost ease. The moment he did, the lightning transformed to blue.

Barry reached him in an instant, but when he did, Zoom thrusted the lightning bolt still in his hand like a dagger into Barry's midsection. Of course, it didn't draw any blood, but it burned through the suit, despite it being heat resistant. The lightning left a large wound and cauterized it at the same time. Barry grunted in pain as he was left skidding past Zoom like a puppet with its strings cut.

Zoom stalked towards Barry. "You thought you could defeat me?"

Zoom quickly lifted him up by the scruff of his neck and began focusing his attacks on the scorch mark on Barry's torso. Barry cried out in pain at each attack.

None of the others could do anything, lest they endanger Barry with their attacks.

"You are nothing," Zoom barked at him. "Not even worth the speed you've been given,"

Barry lifted his head to stare at Zoom with his bleary eyes. His defiance showing with the electricity that continued to flow within him. Quickly launching a punch, Barry managed to pry his way out of Zoom's grasp.

Zoom was swift to follow him. Barry needed to get out of there. Their plan failed, now he needed to lead Zoom somewhere he had the advantage.

Barry didn't have long before Zoom would catch up with him. Harry and Jay were right, Zoom was leagues ahead of them.

Barry managed to make it to STAR Labs before Zoom caught up to him and climbed his way to the top of the building.

Zoom was right behind him, which is what Barry was counting on. Reaching behind him, Barry grabbed what he could of Zoom's suit and jumped off the building.

In the air, the two were matched. Their speeds were equal without anything to run on, leaving the two caught in a fist match.

Unfortunately, Zoom proved to be superior in that area as well. Zoom connected his fist with Barry's face in a matter of seconds and positioned it so Barry would take the brunt of the impact from the landing.

Barry struggled to release himself once more from Zoom's grip. He managed to free one of his arms and used that to his advantage.

He aimed it at the ground and created a wind funnel that would hopefully soften the impact. When they landed, Barry was on his back, moaning in pain, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Barry had landed on his arm, and based on the way it was bent, it was probably broken. Zoom got up as Barry tried to fight through the pain but failed before Zoom grabbed him once more.

Barry was bloody and in pain. He was breathing deep, but he could see the obvious signs of the pain he'd inflicted upon Zoom as well with his wide eyes.

Zoom's laboured breath indicated he was tiring as well. The arm he'd used to free himself from his captivity was barely used at all, most likely due to the burns he received. The slight shaking of his body that was obviously not due to his powers were all clear Barry had done some damage. It just wasn't enough.

Zoom launched his final assault, several quick, but not any less powerful, strikes on Barry. Most were focused on his glaring scorch wound, but several left him reeling pain as he heard several bones snap. The last strike he felt was the most powerful against his back. There was a snap and all of a sudden he couldn't feel anything.

Zoom darkly chuckled as he looked to the carnage he inflicted on the fellow speedster.

Zoom carried Barry's broken body around the city. Stopping at CCPD, he ran up the stairs where everybody could see him. Raising The Flash's body up in the air for everyone to witness. "Oh my god," somebody mumbled.

"Everybody fire!" Captain Singh ordered the rest of the police force to try to shoot down the evil speedster.

Despite his injuries, Zoom's arm was just a blur as he caught every single bullet sent his way. When everybody was finished, he just let the bullets fall to the ground.

Everyone was left in shock. Seeing his work done here, Zoom moved on.

His next stop was at CCPN. Despite the fear everybody was feeling, they were still reporters. Several cameras were instantly aimed at the speedster on instinct.

"People of Central City," Zoom bellowed. "I am Zoom, and this city belongs to me. The Flash will no longer save you. Here's your hero," Zoom shoved the broken body forward for the world to see.

Zooming into STAR Labs, he lifted Barry's body in victory. Only Cisco and Iris were in the labs, but the cameras transmitted everything to the van the others were in.

"You thought he could stop me?" Zoom sneered at the STAR Labs crew. "He won't be stopping anyone anymore,"

In fear, Cisco shoved his hands forward in protection of himself and what happened surprised everybody. Out of his hands came a vibrational blast of energy. Luckily it only ever hit Zoom, which caused Zoom to let go of Barry. Cisco reached for a spare gun and fired a tranquilizer while he still had the chance.

Cisco was no longer thinking rationally, he was just acting on instinct as he fired the gun. His aim proved true as the tranquilizer wedged itself into Zoom's shoulder, pumping him full of drugs that were designed to hinder his speed, at least for a short time.

Enraged, Zoom fled from the scene.

Iris cried out for Barry as she rushed to his side. Searching for any indication that he may still be alive.

With a small moan escaping his lips, Iris and Cisco set into action, carrying Barry as gently as possible into one of the beds as the rest of the gang entered.

Caitlin soon went to work. There wasn't any time to spare. Every breath might be his last.

* * *

Barry's eyes slowly fluttered open as he saw Cisco and Caitlin standing over his bedside, reminding him of the day when he woke up from his 9 month coma. Cisco was sporting a big grin while Caitlin just looked tired, he understands that she did everything she could do to keep him alive.

"The Flash lives." Cisco said gleefully, reminding Barry when Kyle Nimbus almost killed him. "How are you holding up?" The mechanical engineer asked, worried for one of his best friends.

"I'm fine. And I have to thank you guys for that, so thank you." He looked to Caitlin as he said this though, weakly smiling at her.

"We might argue a lot, Fleet Feet but I also consider you as a friend. I'm glad you're alive." She said with a worried smile as she put a hand on Barry's knee, making him frown.

"Is something the matter?" Caitlin asked, seeing his concerned expression.

"Stop talking Ms. Frosty," Barry said as he tentatively touched his legs in disbelief.

"Excuse me?" Caitlin shouted.

"Stop talking!" Barry yelled at her. He was taking heavy breaths as he clenched his hands as tightly as he could.

"I can't feel my legs," Barry gasped. "I can't feel my legs," he cried out in despair.

* * *

It all went downhill. He's in a wheelchair. Caitlin has been kidnapped by Grodd. There's nothing he could do without his legs. He's useless. He remembered the last time he spoke, or rather yelled at Caitlin. She didn't deserve that, he was just so in shock about finding out that his legs are now useless, at least for the meantime. Now she's god knows where and they're only hope is Harry dressing up as Eobard Thawne or Reverse Flash.

"Are you guys there?" Barry asked as he looked at the map.

Harry and Cisco went to a clock tower where they suspected Grodd was keeping Caitlin. It was the last place that they needed to check.

"Yeah. I just need to get Harry set up." Cisco said as he and Harry left the van and Cisco gave him some script. "Read it again. I need to check if you can sound like our late literal mad scientist."

Harry just sighed before rereading the script provided by Cisco. "Cisco, in many ways, you have shown me what it's like to have a son."

"Again. You don't have any emotion. Say that to me like you really care for me and treat me like a son but you're gonna have to kill me anyways." Cisco said as Harry sighed once again.

"Cisco," Harry gasped out, putting as much emotion behind his words as he could without conveying any. "In many ways, you have shown me what it's like to have a son,"

Cisco could only stare as he felt he was right back in that room with their own Harrison Wells. "Yeah, that'll do it."

The two of them approached the tower with Barry on standby, still stuck in his wheelchair. He hated himself on how he was just letting Caitlin be taken by a deranged gorilla.

But they had a plan. Apparently, psychic gorillas are normal on Earth-2. In fact, they created an entire city for them in Africa, and it just so happened that one of the breaches in Central City leads directly to the outskirts of the gorilla city. There, Grodd would have a more normal life.

Harry entered the tower with Cisco on standby. He didn't know how to control his new powers, but he was loaded with a gun in case something happens.

In the tower, Caitlin was slowly working on the serum that created Grodd to be who he was. Apparently, he felt extremely lonely ever since Eobard 'disappeared.' So he kidnapped Caitlin for her to make more psychic gorillas.

In a way, Caitlin felt bad for him. He was really the only one of his kind. He didn't deserve what happened to him. He'd already had a terrible life with being a test subject and pumped full of drugs. People didn't care whether he lived or died as long as he served his purpose as being a guinea pig. Still, that didn't mean she wanted anymore of him.

Grodd immediately took notice of Harry, who he obviously assumed was his 'father.' It helped that the mere sight of Wells was enough to make Grodd falter, but then came the little mistake they never saw coming.

Harry said 'please.' That was apparently never something Wells said. Wells always demanded and Grodd granted. There was no question on who was the boss in their relationship.

Luckily Cisco managed to sneak Caitlin out of there whilst Grodd was preoccupied with Harry.

On their way out, they picked up Harry from where he was slumped over so they could drag Grodd's attention to them.

Caitlin created an ice slide for them to travel on so they could outpace Grodd and lead him to the breach that would take him to his new home. Caitlin wanted him to be happy, because in the end, he was just being manipulated by an evil person.

Once they'd reached the breach they set into motion. Grodd would be right behind them so they didn't have much time. Caitlin would have to be out of sight. Cisco and Harry would be on the frontline to hold Grodd's attention while Caitlin would sneak behind and push Grodd through the breach. Hopefully he wouldn't notice her.

It was close. When Grodd's back was to her, Caitlin launched her icicles at him with one hand and covered the ground in ice with the other so Grodd wouldn't have any traction to prevent him from moving. Grodd was almost through the breach, but at the last moment, he pulled himself back up. He was just too heavy.

Barry had witnessed the entire thing on the screens in front of him. He was frustrated that he was supposed to be the superhero yet they were doing all the work. His back still hurt, and his legs were weak after not much movement for the past several days.

His body was healing, but it was still very much broken. On the other hand, his spirit stayed strong. There wasn't a thing on any Earth that could stop that. Barry chanced a glance at his suit that remained on display, and with a surge of confidence he lifted himself off from the chair and ran to put on the suit and head to the scene to help out.

He was slower, he noticed. The dull pain in his back was limiting his movements and he was still getting used to the feeling of using his legs again, but he was running. He was running with a goal, a destination.

Unwillingly though, doubt began to creep back into his mind. Images of his brutal fight with Zoom caused him to stumble in pain and fear, but he managed to catch himself in time. There was no way he was going to fail his friends.

It wasn't long before he made it to the site. The breach was open and Grodd was standing at the precipice. One good shove would finish the job, and that's just what Barry was aiming for.

Speeding over, he put all his speed and weight into the impact. Grodd didn't even see him coming.

With a great howl, Grodd was sent through the breach where he would hopefully have a better life than the one he led here.

Barry was taking deep breaths after that. He had no idea how tiring it was traveling like that. And his back was killing him.

"Barry! You did it!" Cisco exclaimed and rushed forward to hug the speedster for saving them.

"Ow!" Barry yelped. "Watch the back. It's still healing,"

Cisco quickly let go in fear. "I'm so sorry,"

"Well it's a good thing Cait is a doctor because I'm going to pass out now," Barry's eyes rolled into his head and he promptly fell over.

Caitlin was quick to come over and examine him. "He'll be fine," she assessed. "He just overdid it. Some rest and he'll be back on his feet. It's his back that still worries me,"

"But it's going to heal isn't it?" Cisco asked.

"His back was shattered when we first saw it. It's just a couple of bruises to the bone now. In a few days it'll be as if it never happened, but he'll need to get used to it again," Caitlin reported.

* * *

"I'm just saying, you should ask Patty out again. You like her and she clearly likes you back. That easy." Cisco said as they stood in the line in Jitters, about to order their coffee. "She understood that you had to cancel last time. She'll say yes again."

"Oh really? When was the last time you asked a girl out?" Barry playfully retorted as Cisco just smirked while he eyed the barista behind the counter.

"Watch and see, young padawan." Cisco said as they approached the barista.

"Hi, what can I get you?" The barista said with a smile as Cisco smiled back. Barry just looked between his best friend and the barista while trying not to laugh.

"Hi, there." Cisco greeted awkwardly while Barry tried his best not to lose his composure and laugh.

The barista eyed Cisco with an awkward smile. "Hi...again."

"Uhh…"

"Do you want some coffee?" The barista asked, hoping that the awkward encounter will pass along with the tension in the air.

"No, uh, no, I don't want coffee. You know what I do want though? I want to ask you this. Do you want to go out with me?" Barry looked at Cisco, impressed at his boldness as well as his bluntness.

The barista frowned at him and replied with, "No,"

Cisco had a crestfallen look on his face at the rejection. "Oh,"

"I'm sorry, but I'm just not at a place where I'm looking for someone to date," she said.

"No, I understand," Cisco sighed and walked away from the counter to let the next person place their order.

"Hey you okay man?" Barry walked up to him and patted his back in comfort.

When Cisco didn't say anything, Barry assumed the worst. "Hey, she doesn't know what she's missing out on. There are going to be other girls out there,"

"Are you sure? My track record speaks otherwise," Cisco mumbled.

"If it's any consolation I think Lisa Snart was really into you," Barry offered.

"That's great. So my only options are criminals," Cisco said sarcastically.

"No, you know what I meant," Barry said. "You know what? I'm going to take your advice. I'm going to call Patty right now and ask her for another date,"

"I'll go get us a table," Cisco gestured to the seating area while Barry pulled out his phone to contact Patty once more.

Two rings later and someone answered the phone. "Barry?"

"Hey, Patty," Barry said. "Listen I'm sorry I had to bail on our date last week. There was a kind of experiment I had to supervise at STAR Labs and it just came out at the last second,"

"Hey, no. Don't worry about it. At least you had the decency to call. You don't know how many dates I've had that stood me up in the past," Patty told him.

"What? Who would ever do that to you?" Barry lightly laughed.

"Well apparently one of them was being arrested for illegal possession of drugs, so there's that," Patty openly laughed at that.

Barry laughed along with her.

"But seriously, don't worry about it. If you didn't cancel, then I would have had to. Zoom broke into CCPD that night and we were on lockdown for the rest of the night." Patty said.

At the reminder of Zoom, Barry frowned. The thought of the black speedster still plagued his mind with nightmares. How did he ever think he was ready to take him on?

"So I haven't seen you at the station for the past couple weeks. Have you been avoiding me?" Patty asked suspiciously.

"No! No," Barry denied. "Um, that experiment I was talking about before sort of went awry and I got injured pretty badly."

"Oh my god. Are you okay?" Patty asked in concern.

"I'm fine now. Practically good as new, but that's the main reason I haven't been at the station. I'm sorry if I worried you," Barry said.

"Don't worry about that. Worry about yourself. I just wish you told me earlier," Patty said.

"I didn't want to worry you about any of that, and I was still healing from my more serious injuries." Barry smiled at her concern. "But I'm better now so I was wondering if you would consider going on a date with me tonight?"

"Name the time and place," Barry could hear the smile on her face as she said that.

"I'll swing by your place at around 8. It'll be a surprise where we're going," Barry told her.

"Any hints?" Patty asked.

"Wear something nice," Barry smiled as he hung up the phone.

* * *

**mike (Guest): I will say Lucifer had some influence in creating Howlett's personality, however the original inspiration I had for Howlett was The Mirror of Erised from Harry Potter. You can see that in the fact that the people experience their dreams rather than admit them like in Lucifer.**

**So Zoom has arrived. I tried to make the fight as brutal as possible in order to show how Zoom is going to be in the future. He's a cold blooded machine that will do everything in his power to emerge victorious. The only thing that he cares about is himself.**

**I skimmed over the return of Grodd. I never really felt he was that important to the story, and anything with him in the show was just so boring. Barry and Patty are finally going on that date. Next week for sure.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you all next week. Tell me what you thought and anything I could add or change.**


	19. Ancient Hunting

**Has it already been a week? It's gone by so fast. Welcome to July everyone. Hope everyone has some fun summer plans for the next few months. As always. my co-authors are Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen.**

**Disclaimer: I own no rights to The Flash.**

* * *

Cisco approached the counter warily, knowing that the barista will recognize him and it was gonna be awkward.

The barista, Kendra, noticed him slowly coming towards her. She put on a smile to ease his concerns about anything that happened between them. "Is there something I can help you with this time?"

"I'm just gonna order coffee this time. I'll get a medium mocha and a Flash as well," Cisco pulled out his wallet. He already knew how much this was going to cost.

Kendra gestured to the machine for his card. "Your order will be out momentarily,"

Cisco tried to avoid looking at her, but she was just so nice after what just happened, he had to offer her a smile to show there was no ill will.

When he did he was given a vision with his newfound powers. He was in the air, a person with some kind of armour was flying with large hawk-like wings on their back.

And just like that, it was over. Cisco was brought back to the present and he noticed his order had already arrived. How long had he been out of it? It seemed like a few seconds, but it must have taken a couple minutes for his order to arrive.

Hoping nobody noticed his spacing out, Cisco headed over to an empty table waiting for Barry to finalize his call.

All the while he was pondering over what he'd been shown. He didn't even know who the person he saw was. He didn't know how his powers worked or what triggered them. He wasn't even thinking about anything meta related when he saw the bird person. What did it mean?

Soon Barry showed up with a smile on his face. "So, everything worked out?" Cisco asks.

"I have a date with Patty tonight," Barry informed him.

"That's great pal. What do you plan on doing?"

"I'm taking her to this restaurant I've been meaning to go to," Barry said. "It's this pretty fancy place for the elite. I've never been able to go before,"

"Ah, but now that you're the CEO of a successful company…" Cisco trailed off.

"I can actually afford their appetizers," Barry joked. "Plus this just means I'm going to be the one to pay tonight,"

"Guy always pays on the first date," Cisco reminded him as he passed over Barry's drink to him.

"Exactly," Barry nodded his head.

"So I heard you have powers now," Barry mentioned offhandedly.

"Yeah, I can't believe we didn't see this coming," Cisco said.

"I know. I mean you had those dreams of an alternate timeline before. I don't know how we missed this," Barry shook his head.

"Yeah, but those were just dreams. I shot some sort of energy out of my hands at Zoom. I don't even know how I did that," Cisco contemplated as he stared at his open hands.

"We'll figure it out. You guys helped me with my powers, now it's my turn to help you," Barry said.

"No offence, but I don't think this is going to be as easy as running fast," Cisco said sarcastically.

"You know, Caitlin said something similar with her powers. But still, we'll help you figure this out man. You're my best friend,"

Cisco smiled at Barry's support. They truly were the best of friends. "Thanks,"

* * *

It was nearing eight o'clock, and Barry was panicking at what he should wear. He knows he told Patty to wear something nice, but now he realized how general of a term that actually was.

How nice was he supposed to dress? Should he put on a suit, or something a little more casual? It wasn't like he'd ever been to the restaurant.

Finally, Barry decided to put on a dark blue suit. He needed to dress to impress.

He checked the clock and saw he had 10 minutes to get to Patty's. He couldn't very well run there. The restaurant was not within a walking distance of her place.

Barry got into the car that Wells had left him. It was a black sports car that seemed to have been barely used. Thawne seemed to enjoy using his wealth more for the publicity than actual use. Barry was actually thinking about getting a new car entirely.

Barry arrived at Patty's house 2 minutes late. Not as late as he usually would, but enough that it still made him frustrated that he could never seem to be on time.

Patty was waiting for him outside with a beautiful burgundy dress. Barry rolled down his window so that she could see him. "Hey, sorry I'm a little late,"

"No worries. Like I told you, I've been stood up a couple times in the past so you're off to a good start," Patty reassured him.

"Alright, I'm glad. Well get in, we don't want to be anymore late than we are," Barry said and gestured for her to get in the passenger seat.

As soon as Patty closed the door, they were off. "So this is your car? You didn't steal it did you?" Patty jokes.

"No, I didn't. You won't be needing to arrest me tonight. This car is sort of an inheritance," Barry laughed at her joke.

"I'm glad. I've actually arrested one of my ex-boyfriends while we were on a date. Was really hoping I wouldn't have to do that again," Patty informed him.

"Wait, actually?" Barry chuckles at what she's done.

"Yeah. See, we were at a bar and he was drinking a lot and yelling at the bartender. He was threatening to hit her if she didn't bring him his order soon so I had to arrest him for public intoxication," Patty told him the story.

The two of them laughed at the ridiculousness of the tale. "I don't have anything like that. The closest I would say is that when I was in high school, I was out late with my then girlfriend, Becky Cooper. When I got home the lights suddenly turned on and there was Joe sitting in a chair in front of the door just waiting for me to get home. And he said, 'Where were you, young man? I was about to call in an amber alert for you,'" Barry did an impression of Joe's voice as he told the story.

The two began laughing again at their stories of bad dates as they approached their destination.

* * *

"I heard you were struck by lightning. What does it feel like?"

Barry took a deep breath. He should have known this would come up at some point. Apparently it was a big story that he'd somehow survived a lightning strike. Not that he'd known seeing as he'd been in a coma for nine months afterward.

"To be honest, I don't remember much. All I really remember is this feeling of power within me. Hundreds of volts of electricity surging through me. It was like an out of body experience." Barry explained. "Then I woke up from my coma nine months later,"

"Waking up to see that almost a year had gone by," Patty said with a glazed expression. "It must have been like waking up to the future,"

"I was pretty bummed out to learn that I'd lost almost an entire year of my life. I needed to learn my new role in my friend's lives after all that time," Barry reminisced back on those first few weeks after waking up.

"You know, I actually died once when I was a little girl," Patty said.

"My father and I were at a swimming pool and someone unexpectedly pushed me into the water. It took me by surprise so I didn't react. Pretty soon my lungs were filled with water and I was drowning. I blacked out after that," Patty told her story. "My father dove in after me and saved me, but I remember him telling me that my heart stopped for almost a minute. Guess we've both had our own brushes with death,"

"Well from one dead man to another, I'm glad you're here with me," Barry smiled at her to bring the conversation back from these dark topics.

"So am I," Patty smiled back and reached across the table to hold his hand. The warmth from her hand made Barry feel tiny sparks that were in no part due to his powers.

The two just sat there staring at each other before their food arrived.

The rest of the night turned to be a complete success with the two of them continually talking and laughing and just enjoying being with each other.

* * *

"So I really enjoyed tonight," Patty said as she had her arm wrapped around Barry's. They decided on a walk through the park before calling it a night.

"So did I," Barry agreed. "Is there any chance of a second date?"

"There might be, on one condition," Patty teased him.

"And what is that?" Barry asked.

"Kiss me," Patty demanded.

Barry grinned as he leaned down and Patty met him there half-way.

Patty moved her arms to wrap around Barry's neck as Barry gripped her sides to pull her closer. Their lips moved in sync as they deepened the kiss before finally pulling away for air.

"That was amazing," Barry whispered in a low voice, pressing his forehead against hers.

"Mind Blowing," Patty whispered. "So about that second date…?"

"This was great. We should do this again sometime. I'll call you," Barry said.

"Are you actually going to call?" Patty asked sceptically.

"I will call. I swear it," Barry promised.

Barry gave her one more kiss before they parted to head back to where they parked the car.

* * *

A ship just docked at the Central City Docks. A man with a long robe stepped out of it, he has a short thick beard with a scar on his face.

"I can already feel you, Priestess Chayara." The man said as he sniffed the air.

A worker approached him and asked him why he was there. The worker said he was trespassing before his throat was sliced by the strange man. Other workers tried to fight the strange man but they all suffered the same fate as the first worker.

Once he'd disposed of the workers, he retrieved his weapons and made his way into the city. The hunt continues.

* * *

Cisco snapped back to attention after receiving another vision. A man in a trench coat slaughtering several people at once without mercy. And a mention of a Chayara person.

Whoever she was, she was obviously in danger, but he had no idea how to go about finding her. He could only hope she would be safe. This man seemed to be ruthless and skilled in his abilities.

Barry suddenly sped into the Cortex, taking a deep breath in a sigh.

"What the matter?" Cisco asked, seeing his friend in distress.

"I just came back from a crime scene at the docks. Several workers were murdered last night, by the same guy it seems, or at least by the same weapon," Barry said, holding out a plastic bag that contained a dagger with blood covering it.

"Hmmm, that's weird," Cisco mumbled as he took the offered bag.

"Well considering what we handle on a daily basis, this is pretty average," Caitlin said, walking in with her lab coat on. Taking the dagger for herself since she was more trained in analyzing it.

"So how was your date last night?" Cisco asked.

"It was great. She was great. Everything was-"

"Great. Got it," Cisco interrupted him.

"No, I'm serious. I really like Patty. We just connected on so many levels. I feel like I've known her my whole life. We spent the whole night just talking with each other. With her, I feel like I can let my guard down," Barry said with a smile on his face.

"Well I am so glad you have found someone like that Fleet Feet. How long until we can expect the wedding bells to ring?" Caitlin sarcastically asked.

Barry blushed a heavy red at the suggestion. "It's not like that Ms. Frosty. We've only been on one date. We haven't even made anything official yet,"

"Stop skirting around the issue. You may be fast with your feet, but you're slow with your head. You've been on a date, you've kissed I'm assuming? And you both really like each other. I say just make it official already," Caitlin sighed as she continued studying the bloody weapon.

Cisco just rolled his eyes. '_Look who's talking,'_ Caitlin still couldn't even admit that she harboured slight feelings for their resident speedster and vice versa.

Still, Barry was going out with someone that made him truly happy and Cisco wanted that for his friend. He wasn't going to ruin that by pressuring either him or Caitlin to confess to their actual feelings.

Who knows, maybe Patty would actually help Barry get over Caitlin.

* * *

The team was currently hiding out in Starling City in Oliver's apartment. The murderer was reported to have attacked a woman, the barista Cisco tried hitting on before, in the street.

Barry managed to get there in time and take her away before he killed her. They decided to get in contact with Team Arrow since there was something about the man that seemed mystical instead of scientific and the Starling vigilantes were more adept at dealing with the supernatural.

"So you seem rather happy," Felicity commented as she handed him a glass of champagne. "Have you been seeing a certain someone?"

"Actually I have," Barry nodded his head.

"Oh my god, I'm so happy for you two. It's about time actually," Felicity squealed in excitement.

"Her name is Patty," Barry told her.

"Excuse me?" Felicity scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.

"Yeah, I've been going out with this police officer. Her name is Patty Spivot and she is amazing," Barry said.

Felicity blinked a few times. "I need to go talk to someone," Felicity walked away in search of the only person she found reasonable on the Flash team.

"I'm just saying I can come up with such a better name than Speedy,"

"I like Speedy," Thea said to the man.

"Are you familiar with my work because if you have, you know I can come up with something much better than-"

"Cisco, I need to talk to you," Felicity interrupted their conversation.

Once she'd led him away, she slapped his arm. "When did this happen?!"

"First off, ow!" Cisco rubbed the area where she hit him. "Second, what are you talking about?"

"Barry! With his new girlfriend that is not Caitlin!" Felicity exclaimed.

"Oh yeah. Patty. Great girl," Cisco commented.

"When did that happen? Since when is Barry not in love with Caitlin?" Felicity asked.

"Oh, believe he still is. There's just another girl that he's giving a shot with," Cisco said. "Plus, Caitlin seems to have a teeny weeny bit of crush on Jay, he's a Flash from a parallel Earth."

Felicity's eyes widened and her mouth was wide agape. "Okay, let me get this straight, a Flash? From a parallel Earth? Since when do we have parallel Earths?!" Felicity whisper-yelled to the mechanical engineer.

"Apparently they've always been there. We just didn't know," Cisco shrugged his shoulders.

A crash sounded as the windows to the apartment shattered to reveal a man in a trench coat. This was the man they were looking for.

The man reached into his coat to pull out several knives and threw them with expertise. Everyone one of them was aimed for them, and if it weren't for Barry's speed, they all would have been skewered.

Barry managed to grab Thea and Oliver's bow and quiver to arm them, while the rest of them ducked for cover.

Oliver fired several shots, but they were all caught by the man. "How futile. I was the one who taught man to wield a bow," The man taunted him.

Deciding the only way was to get up close and personal, Oliver began using his bow as a curved staff instead and attacked him.

The man dodged all of Oliver's attacks with ease, but was then taken by surprise when several arrows were launched from nowhere. He'd completely forgotten about their second archer.

Thea held no mercy as she took her advantage to fire more arrows into the man's chest and kicked him off the ledge.

"What did you do?" Barry asked in shock.

"I ended it," Thea firmly said with such cold eyes, they might as well have been dead.

"This is why we ask questions first," Oliver growled, clearly this has happened more often than he would like.

Barry and Oliver walked to the balcony to try to locate the body before some people got the wrong idea. Imagine their surprise when there was no trace of the body. There wasn't even blood from his arrow wounds.

"What is going on?" Barry mumbled to himself and Oliver as they looked to each other hoping for an answer.

* * *

Thanks to a little help from the League of Assassins, led by Malcolm Merlyn, the man's identity was revealed to be Vandal Savage. An immortal man, having been able to live through centuries.

The barista, Kendra Saunders, was connected to him as she was a reincarnation of a Priestess back in Ancient Egypt.

Another person had flown in to offer them their help to fill in any remaining gaps. Carter Hall, or as he introduced himself, Prince Khufu. Apparently he and Kendra were lovers and were destined to always find each other no matter the time.

Along with the fact that due to them being reincarnations of these Egyptians, they were somehow able to sprout wings. This was because of something that happened in their first life along with the reason Vandal Savage was immortal, but Carter had yet to remember what.

Vandal Savage was in an eternal hunt of finding them to kill them so he could retain his immortality. Without stealing their lifeforce, his body would begin to age.

The only lead they had found was an old video of a scientist who found out the truth of Vandal Savage somehow. According to him, during their first life, as they were dying, radioactive meteorites were falling from the sky. The radiation bound their souls together, which is why they were connected. But along with them, the items from their first life retained the radiation as well. Meaning anything from their first life would be able to end Savage once and for all. Hopefully.

Now came the matter of finding these items.

There was a staff in Central City that was rumoured to be wielded by ancient pharaohs around the time as indicated by the video.

When they went to retrieve it though, they were already too late. Vandal Savage had already obtained the staff and used it to beat up both Oliver and Barry.

The only thing that saved them was the fact he had become distracted when he sensed that Kendra had finally managed to access her dormant powers and fled.

"So that's like a tie? Right?" Barry said in a breathless voice.

"I guess," Oliver said, just as beat up from the fight with Savage.

"I will take it," Barry sighed at the fact they weren't able to stop Savage. The only reason they were alive was because Savage didn't find them interesting enough to finish off.

* * *

The plan was to obtain a piece of a meteorite that emitted a similar radiation to the staff. Hopefully it would be the same radiation and have the same desired effect.

By implementing them into a gauntlet, it would allow one of them to hold onto the staff while it was emitting the energy that would kill Savage without any ill effects.

None of that happened. The gauntlets didn't work, Kendra couldn't access her powers on command yet to combat Savage, leaving her vulnerable. And throughout the entire time, Oliver was completely distracted by something that Barry had no idea what about.

It all started when Oliver requested Barry to run a DNA test for him and Felicity ended up finding out. Based on their reactions, Barry could hazard a guess that the DNA Oliver gave him belonged to his child and Oliver was trying to hide it from Felicity.

But all the same, he didn't know all the details so he couldn't really pass judgement yet.

So this is where it all comes down. Barry was running away from the blazing destruction of two cities and everything in between.

He just couldn't believe they failed so miserably. Sure, it seemed unlikely they would actually put down an immortal being for more than a few years, but he hoped they could at least prevent the thousands of deaths laying waste behind him.

Speaking of which, the destruction was beginning to catch up to him, but he was still in shock that they failed. And the fact he just watched Oliver die in front of him. Converted to ashes and scattered in the wind. He was pretty sure there was a little bit of Oliver on his suit right now.

He just wanted all this to stop. Another chance to make all this right, or at least escape from his own death to fight another day.

Barry didn't pay too much attention to what was around him aside from making sure he wouldn't crash into anything. He just needed to get away from all this chaos. Which is why he didn't feel the pull of the Speed Force in his system urging him forward, faster.

So it came as a surprise when a vortex appeared in front of him, sucking him in and he teleported to another location. He was back in Starling City, but everything was fine.

Barry looked to his right and saw another version of himself again. He'd only experienced this before when he time traveled by accident.

Barry skidded to a stop at the same safehouse they used to hide Kendra and Carter from Savage. He saw Cisco unpacking their tools at the tool shed and went to talk to him about his experience.

"Hey man, I gotta tell you something." He said nervously, which Cisco picked up on. "I-I saw myself on the way here, like-like last year."

"You mean like…" Realization dawned in Cisco's eyes as he remembered the last time it happened. "Please don't say the words. Please don't say the words."

"I went back in time," Barry reluctantly admitted.

"No, you were not supposed to say that. Because you only do these things when things go bad. Like, really bad," Cisco rubbed his head from the oncoming headache. "How long?"

"Tonight," Barry told him. "I don't know man. This was even worse. Everything was gone. Reduced to ashes."

"Well, now that you've gone and told me, you've already changed the future. So maybe now that things have changed, the future won't become the present because you've avoided that future by altering the present in the past," Cisco rambled. The concept of time travel boggled the mind.

"What?" Barry was trying to follow his train of thought but ultimately failed.

"What did I just say?" Even Cisco was confused at what he was saying.

"Alright, we need to focus, man. We need to be prepared for what happens tonight. One of the things was that we couldn't get Kendra to use her powers," Barry said.

"So what do you want me to do about it? We got her soulmate doing it," Cisco rolled his eyes. He found the idea of soulmates to be ludicrous, but if anyone could convince him otherwise, it would be Barry and Caitlin.

"Well obviously it didn't work out last time." Barry said. "So I need you to help her with this,"

"Why me?" Cisco asked.

"Because you understand what she's feeling. Kendra, she just wanted a simple life and she was thrusted into this world. She doesn't know how to handle all this," Barry said. "You had trouble accepting your powers because of how you got them, but you learned to accept them."

"You didn't ask for this life either. You were struck by lightning. Almost everybody was forced into this," Cisco said. "Why can't you talk to her? You seem to have gotten these speeches down,"

"She doesn't know me Cisco, she knows you," Barry insisted. "You're the one who's been by her side through this whole thing. You can talk to her,"

As Cisco walked off to where Kendra was currently training with Carter, Barry went off to make other preparations. Kendra was just one part of the new plan.

* * *

That night, everything was going according to plan. Cisco made sure without a doubt that he would get the gauntlets working since Oliver urged him to double check his work. Sure enough, Cisco found a glitch in the system that wouldn't have enabled them to handle the power of the staff.

This time, without his mind occupied with thoughts of his fight with Felicity, Oliver was able to make choice decisions, such as bringing other members of the teams to back them up. Together, they were able to keep Savage busy while Barry stole the staff right from his hands.

The gauntlets worked and were able to handle the power of the staff safely. The force of the staff caused Barry to stumble, but with a little help from Oliver, they were able to hold on until Savage was reduced to ashes.

This was it. The immortal man's time had finally run out.

"Does anyone get a sense of deja vu?" Laurel asked.

* * *

**I'll be honest, I didn't really enjoy writing this chapter. There was just so much I didn't change in the crossover that I felt it more like a chore to write out than a joy. At least the date was fun, but it was too short. I tried to shorten the crossover to the barest essentials but it just got away from me. I hope you all enjoyed it anyway. The conversations I created were the parts I enjoyed the most. Not that there was much of it, which just shows how much of a struggle I had with this chapter.**

**I hope you all are enjoying yourselves. Take care and stay safe. Till we meet again next week.**


	20. I Can Be A Bit Jealous

**Wow. Last week's chapter wasn't that popular. Not that it was surprising. I didn't even like it that much. It was just a filler chapter. A necessary evil. But we're back. Hopefully this one will be slightly better. My co-authors go by the name of Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen.**

**Disclaimer: I have no rights to The Flash.**

* * *

"Flashy the red-nosed speedster had a very shiny suit, and if you ever saw him, you might even want to puke." Jesse gagged when he was finishing the line. "Merry Christmas kiddy-winks, I'm back. Citizens, you know, holidays can be a time for gentle reflection on the year past. Our ups and downs, our triumphs, our heartaches. But don't forget, it can also be a time for disemboweling our enemies. No, my stocking won't be stuffed until it's filled to the brim with bloody Flash parts. What do ya say, speed freak, you wanna roast chestnuts?"

That was James Jesse's announcement after breaking out of Iron Heights along with Leonard Snart. It seemed to be the work of an escaped meta convict, Mark Mardon, who created a snowstorm to hide his tracks.

Snart didn't seem to want to take part in the scheme they seemed to be having, so he walked out on them, only to break into Barry's house to warn him that they were coming for him.

Barry wanted to spend the holidays with Patty, however ever since it was mentioned that Mardon was possibly a part of this case, she didn't seem to have any time for him.

"Hey Patty," Barry called to her. "I was wondering if-"

"Hey Barry. It's nice to see you. Sorry, but I'm a little busy at the moment." Patty had an apologetic look on her face as she placed a kiss on his cheek. "Maybe we can do something later?"

"Yeah, I'll make sure my schedule is clear," Barry smiled at her in an attempt to mask the pain he felt. This was the first Christmas he would be spending where he was in a serious relationship. Especially after what happened last year at Christmas.

Barry made his way back to STAR Labs. There were a few things he could be doing at CCPD, but he could always do them at a later time and he really wanted to step away from Patty at the moment.

Caitlin was there in the Cortex, working on a way to track down Jesse and Mardon. And maybe Snart as well if they were lucky.

Barry took a seat and let out a loud sigh.

"Oh no, I know that sound," Caitlin raised her head to look at Barry. "Troubles in paradise?"

"I don't know what's going on Cait," Barry moaned. "Everything was going fine a few days ago. We were kissing, having fun. Then we got that alert about the breakout and everything seemed to change,"

Caitlin clenched her hands at the mention of kissing. She didn't like the sound of that. Maybe it was because of the casual way he said it. But it wasn't like he had anything to be embarrassed about. Patty was his girlfriend. He could say he kissed her anytime he wanted. So why were Caitlin's hands clenched so tight?

"Maybe she's finally come to her senses and decided to break up with you," Caitlin said.

"Ha ha," Barry laughed with no humour. "This is serious Ms. Frosty. I'm really worried about her,"

"If you're so worried, why are you complaining about it to me and not talking to your girlfriend about it Fleet Feet?"

"She won't let me get a word in. Anytime I try to strike up a conversation she shoots me down, tells me that she's busy and runs off," Barry tells her.

"Maybe she really is that busy," Caitlin pointed out. "Just be patient with her. Let her come to you to talk about this,"

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Barry sighed.

"I'm always right Fleet Feet," Caitlin smirked at him.

"Shut up Ms. Frosty," Barry let out a small smile to grace his lips. "I was really hoping to do something nice this evening. Considering how last Christmas went down, I was hoping for something a little better,"

"Rejected by your crush and then brutally beaten up by your childhood nightmare. I don't think it gets any worse than that," Caitlin said.

"Guess it's really all uphill from there," Barry agreed.

"So, I know this wasn't what you were planning for tonight, but how does taking down a couple criminals sound?" Caitlin suggested. "I might have a lead to their location,"

"That sounds perfect right about now," Barry leaned over to see what she found out.

* * *

The lead was a reflection in the eyes of Jesse. It was a doll that had been out of stock for the past few years but there was a factory for the company in the city limits that was still standing.

Barry decided to go there that night to see if they could find anything. There, he was met with someone else as well. Someone very familiar.

"Pa-Officer Spivot?" Barry spluttered, almost blurting out his girlfriend's name that he had no explanation to how he knew. At least as Officer Spivot, he had the excuse of seeing her on the streets. "What are you doing here?"

"There was a reflection of a doll that my father gave me in the video Jesse sent out. This is the only factory in the city that might have one," Patty explained.

"You shouldn't be here," Barry tried to coax her out.

"I'm a police officer investigating two criminals. What are you doing here?" Patty questioned him.

"I'm trying to do the same," Barry whispered.

Suddenly, several little spinning dreidels came out and surrounded them with a song playing in the background.

"We can't forget about Hanukkah," Jesse said over the tape. "Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel. I made you out of C4,"

Looking for a way out, Barry looked to the ceiling. "Grab onto me," he wrapped Patty's arms around him.

"I'm seeing someone," Patty lightly protested but went along because there was no way she could get out without his help. Still, it was sweet to him that she was remaining so loyal, even with his alter ego.

"Yeah, so am I," Barry mumbled. He left out the part that she was the one he was currently seeing.

With Patty still clinging onto him, he rotated his arms downward to propel them into the air and through the skylight before the spinning bombs detonated.

They made it out of there in time, but the building went up in flames.

"Thank you for saving my life tonight, but I really have to go," Patty walked to her car.

"Wait, explain to me why you were here. Alone, without anyone else coming expecting to meet a dangerous metahuman?" Barry shouted.

"You want to know why?" Patty turned back to him. "Because Mark Mardon shot my father in cold blood."

Patty took a deep breath as she recounted the tale of her father's demise. "My father owned a little shoe store and one day he asked me to go to the bank to apply for a loan, but I bailed on him. I wanted to go out and do stupid teenager stuff with my friends. So he went instead and was gunned down by Mardon and shot in the head for a few hundred dollars,"

Barry sighed in realization. "That's why you're doing this. Why you wanted to be on the metahuman task force,"

"It'll be legal when I kill Mardon and get justice for my father," Patty said to him. "I don't even know why I'm telling you all this,"

"Sometimes it's easier to trust a face you don't know," Barry said. "But listen to me, revenge is never the answer. There's another path to this,"

"Forgive and forget?" Patty scoffed. "That man doesn't deserve forgiveness, and I'll never forget what he did. So what does that leave me with?"

"Acceptance," Barry said. "Your father's dead. I'm sorry but nothing is going to change that, certainly not murdering Mardon. You're a police officer. You're supposed to protect all people,"

"And how many people will I save if I kill Mardon?" Patty retorted. "Listen, thank you for saving me. But it's been a long night and I have a killer to track down."

Patty got into the car and drove off, leaving a disheartened boyfriend behind.

* * *

On Christmas day, Team Flash were finally able to pinpoint a location for Mardon. He was on top of a building, just looking down on the people.

When Barry confronted him, he lept off and managed to manipulate the air pressure around him to grant him the ability to fly.

Mardon made his way to the plaza where Jesse was waiting where they revealed their master plan.

All day, Jesse was posing as a Santa and handing out gifts to little kids. Within those presents were actually bombs that would detonate with the press of a button. Unless Barry would allow them to kill him right there.

Cisco and Harry were working on getting rid of those bombs so Barry would have the clear to take them down.

Figuring that they only needed to locate one of the bombs, they went to a house with children within walking distance of the plaza that was practically guaranteed to have one of those boxes, they managed to convince them to give it to them.

With the reveal there was actually a bomb within, they were eager to get rid of it.

By tapping into the frequency of the bomb, they were able to bring all the bombs through a breach where they would explode within the breach and bring no harm to anyone on either side.

With the go that all the bombs were taken care of, Barry sprung into action. Lightning danced in his eyes and tied up Jesse with Christmas lights and punched Mardon several times so he would go down.

Patty walked up to the scene with The Boot ready in her hand.

"Officer Spivot, don't worry. Everything is under control," Barry states.

"That's what I'm counting on," Patty says and aims The Boot at Barry's leg. The shock that she would do that froze Barry to the spot and allowed The Boot to clamp on him, sending hundreds of volts through his system and neutralizing his powers.

Patty walked up to Mardon with her actual gun pointed at his head. "Do you know who I am?"

"Should I? All you pigs are the same," Mardon sneered at her.

"Several years ago, you gunned down a man at a bank and shot him in cold blood," Patty scowled at him. "That man was my father, and now I'm going to get justice for him,"

"Wait!" Barry shouted at her. "Please, don't do this,"

"He shot my father, all just to make a quick buck. He deserves everything coming to him," Patty said.

"And you will have to live with the fact you killed him," Barry said. "Mardon may deserve to die, but that is not for you to decide."

"But I do. I want him to suffer just like how my father did," Patty continued to glare at the fallen man in front of her.

"Your father wouldn't want this for you. Killing Mardon, that's not moving forward, and if you do, that means you never will. You need to find yourself that doesn't revolve around this before you can truly move on," Barry said.

Patty still looked ready to fire her gun at any moment, but there was a look of conflict in her eyes that was making her hesitate.

"Don't be the person you think your father deserves. Be the person you know your father deserves," Barry pleaded with her one last time.

Grunting to herself, lowering her head, Patty holsters her gun and pulls out a pair of handcuffs. "Mark Mardon, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent,"

Barry sighed in relief as Patty finally decided on doing the right thing.

On the side, James Jesse was silently sobbing. "That was so beautiful, I think I'm gonna puke,"

* * *

The Christmas party at the West house was going underway. Everyone was happy and chatting with each other on all the things that have happened in the past year.

The doorbell rang unexpectedly. It confused everyone since they weren't expecting anyone else to arrive.

Joe went to open the door. Maybe it was Christmas carolers.

The door revealed to be a boy, probably in his early twenties. "Is this the West house?" he asked.

"I'm Joe West. This is my daughter Iris," Joe gestured behind him. "Can I help you with something?"

"My name is Wally West. I'm your son," he stated.

* * *

After everything that's happened, with all the close calls and near death experiences, Barry was giving it some serious thought.

He wanted to tell Patty that he was The Flash.

Of course, he had to talk to the others first. Joe and Iris deserved an input as well, but it was the core group that he was focused on right now.

"Hey guys, I need to talk to you about something," Barry called out.

"Oh? What could be the matter?" Caitlin rolled her eyes. The indication that she was listening even though her eyes were still glued to the screen.

Currently, they were trying to find a meta that might prove useful in their plan to defeat Zoom. The Turtle, who had the ability to absorb the kinetic energy in an area. If they could figure out how he did it, they could steal Zoom's speed.

"It's about Patty," Barry started.

"Don't tell me you're thinking about breaking up with her already. It's too soon to tell yet," Cisco said.

"No, I'm not…" Barry trailed off. "Already? You were expecting us to break up?"

"Well, not yet, but-" Cisco shrugged his shoulders.

"No, I'm not planning on breaking up with Patty. In fact, the opposite," Barry stated.

"Just tell us what it is," Caitlin said in a bored fashion.

"I'm gonna tell Patty that I'm The Flash," Barry said. "What do we think of that?"

Cisco was shocked. For sure, he knew Patty was a great girl. He supported Barry in his relationship with her. But they were only just starting out, and Barry was already thinking about hitting her with his vigilante side-job. He might as well have asked her to marry him.

Cisco turned to look at Caitlin to see her stone, cold face. She didn't let anything show, but his perceptive eyes managed to see the turmoil beneath her eyes.

In the end, Cisco realized that this was Barry's decision. This was his team. He would make a call, and they would follow him. That's just how it was.

"Well," Cisco said when it became obvious Caitlin wasn't going to say anything. "I think that anyone who can face multiple metahumans without a power is pretty cool, so she's good in my books,"

Barry had a grateful smile on his face and turned to face Caitlin.

Caitlin didn't know what to think. She couldn't even face him. Why was her heart beating so fast? Why were her eyes swelling with tears? Why did it hurt so much to hear that Barry trusted Patty enough to willingly give up his secret identity?

Caitlin was angry. Angry at Barry, angry at Cisco, angry at Patty. What on earth did Patty do that made Barry trust her so much? They've only known each other for a few months, and Barry was just handing his heart to her on a silver platter.

If he told her, that would be it. It would prove without a shadow of doubt, that Barry was dedicated to Patty no matter what. He would stick to her for the rest of his life. They would get married, have a couple of kids. Get a house in the suburbs. Why didn't she want that for them?

Caitlin reluctantly tore her gaze away from the screen in front of her and put on her best fake smile, hoping nobody would notice. "I think you should do what makes you happy. If Patty makes you happy, then don't let anything stop you,"

Caitlin clenched her jaw. That was so difficult to say. It was like drinking poison. And this burning feeling in her chest just wouldn't go away.

"Thank you Cait," Barry offered her a large smile and Caitlin immediately felt guilty. "It means so much to me that you're okay with this,"

"I'm gonna tell her. I'm really gonna tell her." Barry mumbled excitedly to himself as he left the Cortex.

As soon as Barry was out of hearing range, Cisco shot a look to Caitlin. "You gonna tell me what that was all about?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Caitlin dismissed him and turned back to her computer.

"Oh no, you're not getting away that easily," Cisco smiled to himself. "You couldn't look Barry in the eye. Your hands were fidgeting this entire time,"

Caitlin looked down at her hands to see that her keyboard had specks of ice on it. Hopefully that wouldn't ruin it, but if it did, they could just order a new one. It wasn't like they were low on cash these days.

Cisco smirked. "I never thought I'd see the day,"

"What?" Caitlin asked, irritated at his vague speech.

"You're jealous," Cisco accused.

"Excuse me?" Caitlin was taken aback. "What do I have to be jealous about?"

"The fact that Barry's going to tell Patty about everything to prove how serious he is about their relationship, and you're jealous because of it," Cisco said.

Caitlin took a deep breath and thought about it. It did make sense, but she would never admit it. It just made no sense to her. There was nothing about Barry's relationship with Patty that she should be jealous over. She had her own relationship with Jay that was going splendidly. Was there something she was lacking in that department?

Caitlin soon came to a realization. "Oh my god, you're right. I am jealous,"

"Hold on, what now?!" Cisco shouted. "You actually- you know, I knew you were, but I didn't think you did,"

"No, you're right Cisco. I am jealous of Barry's relationship with Patty," Caitlin admitted.

"Hallelujah! She admits it! She finally admits it!" Cisco shouted out loud in celebration. "I never thought I'd live to see the day. Okay so I want to be the best man at the wedding. And your first child should be named after me," Cisco listed his demands.

"That's a long ways down the road Cisco. Besides, Jay and I don't have the security in our relationship like Barry and Patty do," Caitlin said.

"We'll get to that and- Did you just say you and Jay?" Cisco asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Caitlin nodded her head. "I'm jealous of the fact that Barry is so confident in his relationship while I'm still not too sure about mine,"

"_That's_ what you're jealous about?" Cisco questioned with his mouth agape.

"Exactly. I'm so glad you made me realize this Cisco," Caitlin smiled at him in gratitude. "I'm going to find Jay and we're going to have a serious talk about where we are in this relationship,"

Caitlin waved goodbye and went off in search of her boyfriend.

Cisco just plastered a smile on his face as he watched her leave.

"So close," Cisco moaned to himself once he knew Caitlin would not be able to hear him.

* * *

They managed to track down The Turtle in an abandoned art museum that was once owned by the guy's wife. The only problem would be getting close to him since he'd make everything around him motionless.

"How am I supposed to do this?" Barry asked outside the museum.

"You just need to keep running. The stored potential energy within should convert back to kinetic energy, which will allow you to keep moving, albeit, at a much slower pace." Jay said.

"You'll have a window of opportunity. Turtle's powers operate in waves. You'll have an eighth of a second in between to get closer," Harry added in.

Barry took a deep breath and readied himself to push forward in order to take down Turtle.

Barry took a running start to get as much momentum as possible before charging forward. As soon as The Turtle sensed someone here, he activated his powers to freeze Barry in his tracks, but Barry was able to keep moving slightly.

One wave ended and Barry continued forward but was stopped by another wave. In such an enclosed space, Turtle didn't have anywhere to go. His only chance would be that Barry would tire and give up and then he would make his escape.

Barry did not stop. The second wave ended and Barry charged forward. He was almost there. Stopped by another wave, but just one more and Barry would be upon him.

The final wave was over and Barry sucker punched Turtle into unconsciousness. "That was a lot of running," Barry gasped despite not traveling very far.

* * *

They locked The Turtle in the Pipeline where they could now study his powers and possibly replicate them in order to take away Zoom's speed when they would confront him again.

"You want to know something funny? Before you would steal the treasure of everyone else," Barry taunted him. "Now you're our greatest treasure,"

Barry, now reaffirmed that telling Patty he was The Flash was the greatest choice he could make, he headed to her apartment.

"Patty, I have something I really need to tell you," Barry said when he stepped through the door.

"I have something I need to tell you as well," Patty claimed.

"Oh, well ladies first," Barry gestured for her to say what she needed.

"Now that Mardon is behind bars, I've accomplished the reason why I became a police officer," Patty started. "And someone told me that I needed to find myself that wasn't part of taking down Mardon so I applied to a university for their forensics program,"

"Oh?"

"I got accepted," Patty cheered.

"Oh! That's great! I'm so happy for you," Barry exclaimed.

"It's in Midway City," Patty told him.

It took Barry a moment to process what she just told him. He couldn't believe it. "So, you're moving away?"

"It's time to get away from Central City. Start anew," Patty said.

"Even me?" Barry asked in disbelief.

"When I first came to the force, I never expected that I would get to know you, and care about you so much, but this is something I've wanted to do since before Mardon," Patty told him.

Barry sighed. "I understand. This is your dream, and you're finally starting to move on. I'm happy for you,"

"Thank you Barry," Patty said her thanks. "And it doesn't mean we can't still be friends. We can keep in contact. Maybe even try a long-distance relationship,"

"No, don't worry about me. I'll be fine," Barry smiled sadly at her as he backed up to the door.

"Uh, what was it that you wanted to tell me?" Patty asked, remembering there was something he wanted to tell her as well.

"Don't worry about it," Barry dismissed it. "It doesn't matter anymore. Your father would be proud of the person you've become. You truly are the person you know your father deserves,"

Patty looked at him in confusion. Barry wondered what it was he said that made her look that way. He mentally repeated their conversation before realizing what just happened.

"What did you just say?" Patty asked. "You said I'm the person I know my father deserves?"

"Uh, well," Barry stammered.

"The Flash said that to me," Patty looked at him suspiciously.

"Oh, well what a coincidence," Barry lightly laughed, trying to throw her off the path.

"Barry, are you-" Patty began to accuse him.

"I've got to go! I'll see you around maybe," Barry was starting to sweat bullets as he walked out the door.

Barry was out the door, and Patty hurried to her window just in time to see a flash of lightning exit her apartment complex. "-The Flash," Patty mumbled to herself.

* * *

**Patty is now aware of Barry being The Flash. Things will probably turn out the same as in canon for them, but it's still sad to see her go. Patty was the best relationship Barry had on the show, in my opinion, but alas this is a Snowbarry story. She had to go sooner or later. Patty will be taking her exit next week, but there will be some mentions to her throughout the story. I hate how she was just cut completely out of the show.**

**And Wally has entered the story. Not much to tell for there. He's just going to be around. I don't pay too much attention to the West family, mostly because there isn't anything that interesting for me to add besides brief mentions. I'm not even sure if I should make him Kid Flash. Tell me if you guys think I should, even if it's just to make it easier on me so I don't have to come up with something completely new off the top of my head. Or so I don't cut out entire episodes that involve him.**

**Anyway, I'll see you guys next week. Hope you guys are all safe and enjoying your summer as best as you can.**


	21. Life Partners

**Another week has gone by, and so I am due to deliver you all a new chapter. Is the new summary working for everyone? I just thought the old one just wasn't encapsulating the story anymore, so I changed it last night. Is it okay? My co-authors go by the name of Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash.**

* * *

"Why so sad Flash? What happened to Patty?" Cisco asked, worried why his friend is sad when he was excited before he left the labs earlier.

"I didn't tell her. What's the point when she's moving away from Central City? From me."

"Patty's moving?" Caitlin asked, barely containing a smile on her face at the news.

"To Midway City. She's going to school there since Mardon has been arrested," Barry nodded his head.

"Oh, that's such a shame," Caitlin curled her lips to stop from smiling. "She seemed like such a nice person,"

"You know, maybe this isn't the end," Barry said. "She said we could try long-distance. Maybe that's a thing we could work through,"

"Dude, have you never seen TV shows? Long-distance relationships never work out. It's a proven fact," Cisco shook his head.

"This isn't TV Cisco. This is real life. Maybe we could work it out. I just need to convince her I'm not The Flash," Barry said.

"She thinks you're The Flash?" Caitlin asked in disbelief.

"I said something that I said as The Flash and now she thinks I'm The Flash," Barry mentioned.

"How could you be so careless?" Caitlin shouted at him.

"It was a slip of the tongue. I didn't mean for it to happen," Barry argued.

"You're left with two options now," Caitlin said. "Either tell her right now or avoid her for the rest of your life,"

"What do you think?" Cisco asked. "What are you going to do?"

"I think it's pretty obvious what needs to happen," Barry said.

"Yeah, I think you do," Caitlin smiled at him.

"I need to tell her right away and hope for the best between us," Barry said smiling. "Excuse me I need to go prepare,"

Barry left the Cortex, leaving just Cisco and Caitlin behind.

"You wanted him to avoid her for eternity didn't you?" Cisco asked Caitlin.

"Shut up," Caitlin denied.

* * *

Patty was just clearing her desk when Barry came back, she already knows he's The Flash but she just needs to hear it from him.

"Hey Patty, can I talk to you in private?" The CSI asked, nervously fiddling his fingers.

"Of course," Patty smiled at him, already having an idea of what he was going to tell her.

Barry gripped her wrist and led her to his empty lab upstairs. "Okay, what I'm going to tell you is really important and-" Barry was stuttering, trying to think of some way to tell her.

"Barry, it's okay," Patty reassured him. "I know that you're The Flash,"

"Wha-" Barry stammered.

"Please don't treat me like an idiot. I'm a detective, all the signs were there," Patty bemoaned to herself. "It was so obvious but I was so infatuated by you that I didn't want to see it, but now I do,"

"Patty, please," Barry begged Patty to stop.

"Just tell me Barry. Tell me, and I'll stay. I'll stay in Central City with you," Patty offered him.

At this point, Barry knew he couldn't tell Patty. If he did, Patty would be staying in Central City and she would be miserable. He couldn't let that happen.

"I can't do that, because I'm not him Patty. I'm not The Flash." Barry lightly shook his head. "I just wanted to wish you the best of luck with everything and that I hope no matter what we'll always be friends."

A few tears started to form in Patty's eyes as Barry slowly backed away from her. "Well, that's too bad. I would have been happy to stay. There's a lot of people here I would've been sad to leave behind, but I'm sure they'd understand. I'll see you around Barry,"

Patty walked out of the lab and back to her desk to continue packing up for her future.

Joe was on the other side of the door and watched as Patty left with tears streaming down her eyes, but she kept her head low to try to mask the few tears that fell to the ground.

"What was that all about?" Joe asked the only other occupant in the room.

"Patty's leaving for Midway City to attend school there and we were just saying goodbye," Barry summarized their conversation.

"Oh?" Joe questioned him. There was something else to the story.

"She knows Joe. She found out I was The Flash," Barry revealed.

"Oh," Joe murmured his understanding.

"She said she was going to stay if I told her I was, but I just couldn't," Barry said.

"But you are The Flash," Joe quietly pointed out. "She would have stayed,"

"That's the problem Joe. If she stays then she's throwing away her dreams. She's wanted to go since forever, and if I tell her, then I'll just be holding her back, and I care about her too much to let that happen," Barry declared.

"You remember what you told me when Eddie was going to propose to Iris?" Joe questioned.

"Yeah, I told you I no longer had feelings for Iris," Barry recalled.

"You told me that I should let Iris make her own decisions. That her mistakes are her own and I should let them happen because it's her life, and she needs to live it," Joe said. "It seems to me you're not letting Patty make her own decisions,"

"This is different Joe. That didn't involve you," Barry argued. "But Patty was all set to leave me behind before she figured out I was The Flash. If I tell her now…"

"You're afraid Patty is only staying because she's dating The Flash," Joe realised.

"It may sound selfish, but that's not what I want for us. It's not fair to me, and it's not fair to her," Barry said. "It would be best to just leave things as they are,"

"Alright, it's not my decision, but if you don't want to tell her, that's your choice," Joe said, leaving behind a few papers he wanted Barry to look over afterwards. "And this is just my opinion, but I think Patty would be staying because she sees how much you respect and trust her by telling her you're The Flash. Not because you are,"

Joe left, and Barry took a few deep breaths to calm himself before beginning to look over the files Joe left him and what needed to be analyzed.

* * *

"So Patty's leaving?" Cisco asked.

"She should be on her train by now," Barry nodded his head.

"It's too bad, she would have made a great member for Team Flash," Cisco sighed. "And she made you happier than you have been in a long time."

"I was happy. But if I found it with her, maybe I can find it again," Barry contemplated. "Besides, we're going to keep in touch and maybe someday we'll be co-workers again when she graduates,"

"That's good. Keep a positive outlook. You'll be that happy again someday," Cisco smiled at him and patted his shoulder.

"I'm going to miss her," Caitlin declared.

"Oh? Why is that?" Barry asked.

"Because she was the only thing keeping you occupied Fleet Feet. Now that she's gone, I'm gonna have to put up with you so much more," Caitlin moaned.

"Well maybe I should get myself a girlfriend more often Ms. Frosty, if it means I'm not spending as much time with you," Barry mentioned.

"Patty was a one time thing. You won't get that lucky again," Caitlin said as her phone alerted her of a text message. "That's Jay, my wonderful boyfriend. I'm gonna take this,"

When Caitlin was gone, Barry's phone rang with a phone call. He took it out to see it was Patty calling him. Confused, he answered it. "Hello?"

"Barry? I'm on the train right now," Patty whispered to him in a desperate manner. "There's a man with a knife. I'm scared,"

Put on alert of the danger, Barry sprung into action. "Hold on, I'm gonna get help,"

Rushing into his suit, Barry ran to catch up with the train and phased his way in.

"Is everyone alright?!" Barry shouted with his face and vocal cords vibrating. Everyone was calm. There was no danger anywhere. What was going on?

"Everything is fine," Patty called out to him. Victory in her eyes.

Patty slowly approached him with recognition in her eyes. Barry, realizing he'd been caught, stopped moving his face to focus on her. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he whispered.

Patty nodded her head in gratitude with a sad smile on her face. She knew why he didn't tell her. And she cared for him so much more for the fact. "Thank you," she mumbled.

Barry nodded his head and raced off back to Central City.

"Goodbye Barry," Patty whispered to herself as she watched the lightning disappear from her vision.

* * *

Everyone was at the hospital where Iris was currently being treated. She had tailed her new brother, Wally, to discover he took part in illegal races.

A new metahuman had shown up, a being with the body of tar. Tar Pit, as Cisco named him. Tar Pit attacked the race trying to get someone he knew previously and Iris was caught in the crossfire. Stabbed by a shard of glass that Barry wasn't able to get to in time, but she should have gotten out of the way instead of standing there when a car was flipped over.

Regardless, she was hurt and being treated. Joe was really laying it into Wally about getting involved with these kinds of people and causing his sister to get hurt.

Wally had come to the West household after his mother died in Keystone. He was looking for what was left of his family. Instead, he brought danger to his new family and would be on house arrest for an indefinite amount of time.

Getting back to Tar Pit, their plan relied entirely on Caitlin. Just like how Sand Demon's body was composed of what appeared to be sand and Barry's lightning strike rendered him immobile, Tar Pit's body was made of liquid asphalt. If reduced to cold temperatures, his body would harden, and he would hopefully become immobile as well.

Using one of his targets, they were able to lure Tar Pit to where Caitlin was waiting for him.

As soon as he was within her sights she blasted him with her mist that drained him of his heat. The effect was instantaneous. The tar began to harden and soon there was frost covering every inch of its body. The hulking mass of asphalt was left standing still. It seemed as if a decent breeze would knock it over, causing it to shatter.

Barry soon rushed in before that could happen and placed him in a heat resistant cell in Iron Heights for any villainous fire metas. That should be able to contain him until they were able to fashion another cell specific to his powers. If he would ever be able to recover his original body.

* * *

"So, nice work on the meta today," Barry complimented Caitlin.

Caitlin rolled her eyes. "The guy was doomed the second I came in. There was no way he could have combated me with his powers,"

"Don't need to sound so arrogant about it. You had a favourable matchup," Barry pointed out.

"Which is exactly why you called me in to take care of him," Caitlin argued.

"What are you saying?" Barry questioned her. "That I wouldn't have been able to take him? Because I could have,"

"Not as easily as I could," Caitlin said. "Look, all I'm saying is there are certain things our powers are more easily able to handle than others. Tar Pit was something I could deal with better than you,"

"And what does that mean?" Barry crossed his arms in frustration.

"It means I was the hero today Fleet Feet. Not you," Caitlin taunted him.

"You don't even have a hero name Ms. Frosty," Barry glared at her. "I'm still the hero of Central City. You're just the sidekick,"

"Well then maybe it's time I get my own name," Caitlin said. "You know, I've been doing some hero work around the city, and there are things you don't even know about,"

"So what are you saying?" Barry pointedly glared at her.

"I'm saying," Caitlin's smile held no warmth to it. "I'm Killer Frost,"

"You got that from the newspaper," Barry stated.

"So what if I did? It's a good name," Caitlin retorted.

"Could have come up with something original." Barry muttered. "I see you're clearly lacking in imagination,"

"Says the guy who got his hero name from a pun," Caitlin countered.

"It was catchy," Barry shouted. "And clearly a lot of people liked it. I've even got my own holiday,"

"Don't even get me started on Flash Day. It's like they were just adding to your ego when they made it official," Caitlin huffed in anger.

"Well, too late for that because I'm the official hero for Central City and nothing you can do about it," Barry laughed at her.

"Well, every hero needs a heroine," Caitlin glared at him, looking directly into his eyes.

It took a few seconds for her words to catch up to them. "Did you just-"

"Forget I ever said that. That's not what I meant," Caitlin shook her hands.

"You just said we should be partners," Barry said.

"Terrible idea. We'd just get in the other's way all the time,"

"Your suggestion is that we be seen working together as a duo in the streets, fighting off criminals,"

"Everyone would think we were involved or something," Caitlin said in dismay.

"People are already getting that vibe between us. I don't think I can handle if people thought The Flash was involved with Killer Frost," Barry shouted.

"So you're warming up to the name," Caitlin noticed.

"If you never suggest that again, I will announce Killer Frost as a new hero in Central City," Barry offered.

"I already am a hero in this city Fleet Feet, whether you say anything or not,"

"Just don't get in my way Ms. Frosty,"

* * *

"So, are you sure this works?" Barry asked as he looked at the breach in their basement. They found out in the last 24 hours that yet another Harrison Wells betrayed them. He stole Barry's speed and gave it to Zoom. He was the reason that Iris was at the hospital but Barry gave him another chance. His daughter was apparently at the mercy of Zoom and that's why he did it.

Now they are standing in front of the breach in their basement after closing the rest of the breaches around the city. Now this was the only entrance between the two worlds.

"All you need to make sure of, is that you keep your speed up until you reach the other end. You're going to be shown a lot of things, but you can't let them distract you," Jay advised him.

"Yeah, I got it," Barry nodded his head as he, Cisco and Harry prepared themselves for the trip.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Barry asked Caitlin.

"I'm sure," Caitlin nodded her head. "Besides, someone needs to stay behind and defend the city in your absence,"

"My city better not be destroyed when I get back," Barry warned Caitlin.

"Don't worry about it, it's in good hands." Caitlin assured him. "You better come back in one piece,"

"Concerned about me?" Barry teased her.

"Hardly. More like I'm concerned about your ego expanding by the time you return," Caitlin rolled his eyes.

"Later," Barry bid her goodbye with a poke of an electrified finger.

"Ouch," Caitlin yelped. She got him back with a tap of her heat draining finger.

Barry visibly shivered at her touch, brushing at the spot Caitlin touched him.

"Alright, if you two are done flirting, we have somewhere to be," Harry called to them.

The two of them scoffed as they separated, Caitlin climbing the stairs to reach the top and Barry joining the two men accompanying him on the journey.

"For the record, that wasn't flirting," Barry told Harry.

"Sure it wasn't," Harry said in a tone that indicated he didn't believe what was said.

"I mean it," Barry insisted.

"Keep telling yourself that," Harry said.

"Remember," Jay called down to them. "Don't get involved. The people you'll be seeing aren't real, at least not to you,"

Barry stood in the middle and grabbed their shoulders. Keeping a firm grip so they wouldn't slip out of his grasp, Barry ran into the breach, leaving his world for the next.

Barry was shown various images but he paid them no heed. They were all irrelevant to him. Barry was just focused on the Earth that was approaching. Everything else he dismissed.

They made it. They were on Earth-2 now. In an alternate STAR Labs.

Harry led them to his office where they could work on locating Zoom using Cisco's powers to track him.

The problem was, because they were on a new Earth, the wavelength was off due to the new frequency of the planet. Meaning Cisco's powers were on hold until they managed to recalibrate the goggles.

The TV in the room was on, and at that moment they saw Barry on the screen, only this one was different. He was wearing a different set of clothes and glasses. His hair was styled differently and his mannerisms were completely different from the Barry they knew.

"I've got an idea," Barry mumbled as he sped off and returned a second later with his double.

"What is going on here?!" E2 Barry shouted.

"Did you just kidnap yourself?" Cisco shouted at his Barry.

"How do you look like me?" E2 Barry finally noticed his double. "Are you a clone? Is there a clone of me? How is this possible?!"

"Listen Barry, you need to calm down," Barry tried to soothe himself.

"Only my parents call me Barry. It's Bartholomew," Bartholomew corrected.

"Bartholomew. Okay. Weird," Barry said, his actual name feeling uncomfortable on his tongue. At least it would be easy to differentiate between the two of them.

"Did you have to bring him here?" Harry asked Barry.

"Harrison Wells?" Bartholomew looked at his idol in awe. "_The _Dr. Harrison Wells? Okay, I don't know what's going on here, but Harrison Wells, you are my hero. Your work on quantum mechanics and string theory was revolutionary,"

"Oh, that's great. I actually won an award for that. It's over there," Harry pointed to a trophy on a shelf, tossing a taser to Barry whilst Bartholomew was distracted.

"Oh, it's beautiful," Bartholomew complimented the trophy.

Barry brought the taser to his doppelgänger and shocked him, rendering him unconscious.

"What just happened here?" Cisco shouted. "Have you gone to the dark side?"

"Relax, he just blacked out. He'll be fine," Barry said, tossing the taser away.

"Okay, but why did you bring him here?" Cisco was still confused as to why Bartholomew was here in the first place.

"So he could become him," Harry said, already figuring out the plan.

"Exactly. I'll go to CCPD as him and dig up recent sightings of Zoom. Using those, we'll possibly be able to triangulate a location of a lair where he's keeping Jesse," Barry explained.

"Good. Okay, good. We've got a plan. While you're doing that, Harry and I will work on fixing the goggles. Think you can do this?" Cisco asked.

"Sure," Barry said, taking out his contacts so he could put on the glasses. "How hard can it be?"

* * *

"Where is The Flash?!" A metahuman named Geomancer yelled as he sent tectonic shockwaves that destroyed a parking lot at Downtown.

"Is he another one from Earth-2?" Caitlin asked Jay, already in her Killer Frost suit. She figured with their luck these days that something wrong was going to happen the second Fleet Feet and his little gang went to a parallel reality.

"No, the Geomancer in my world died a couple years ago. This guy must be from this Earth." Jay replied before Caitlin turned towards the exit, making the former speedster confused. "You can't take this guy, Cait. Your powers have no effect on him."

"Well, Jay, I have to try." Caitlin replied with determination, mirroring Ronnie's last words to her.

Caitlin rushed out of STAR Labs, her eyes glowing and her hair turning to a stark white.

Once outside, she thrusted her hands forward to create an ice path to glide on. It may not be as fast a speedsters, but it was the best she could produce.

Gliding on her ice bridge, she reached the battle area in time to see Geomancer create another shockwave.

Coming in from above, Caitlin let loose a burst of ice towards the metahuman. The blast enough to knock him to his feet, but it wasn't enough to stop him. It was really just meant as a distraction.

"Who called for the Ice Queen?" Geomancer said. "Run away Elsa, this is no place for girls,"

"So what are you still doing here?" Caitlin called out. After what seemed like an eternity arguing with Barry, insults barely phased her, and the Frozen jokes had gotten old a long time ago.

"Feisty, I like 'em like that," Geomancer sneered at her. "Still, you're no match for me," Geomancer punched the ground under him, controlling the destruction directly towards Caitlin.

Caitlin slid out of the way with another ice path, but the destruction continued its chaos behind her. Looking back, she could see several falling structures due to the shaking. Some of which were now falling on civilians.

Caitlin sprung into action and froze the falling debris in place as well as icing up the cracks in the ground. Workers would be able to dig them out of the ice and fix them.

In the ensuing chaos, Geomancer managed to make his escape since with her arrival, it seemed The Flash wouldn't be making an appearance.

Caitlin grunted in frustration. She let the guy get away, right after she promised Barry she would be able to take care of any problems in the time he was gone. She failed him. Which is why she was so disappointed in herself.

* * *

Barry had arrived at CCPD, but it seemed different to him. There were people here he didn't recognize and things were out of place from where he remembered them. He tried not to let them get to him.

"Hey Bartholomew," people greeted him.

Barry just waved at them politely and offered a small smile. He didn't know how he was supposed to react, and hearing his actual name was bothering him. There was a reason he didn't like it.

"Allen! Come over here!" A familiar voice called out to him. He turned to the source of the voice and found this Earth's Caitlin.

"Caitlin?" He whispered, he was so shocked at meeting one of his friends on this Earth that he didn't notice the toddler beside Caitlin.

"Yes, Caitlin. Is there another Caitlin I should be worried about?" Caitlin looked at him with an exasperated look that said she couldn't believe him. "Sometimes it feels like you're living in another world after spending so much time on those reports,"

"I'm-I'm sorry, I just wanna catch Zoom, that's all." His eyes drifted downwards and noticed the small little girl clutching Caitlin's left leg.

"Is work all you can think about? Your shift ended almost an hour ago and you're still here. Layla missed her daddy," Caitlin gestured to the little girl by her side.

"Daddy?" He was so shocked but a smile quickly made its way on his lips. Just by looking at her, he could already see features that resembled both him and Caitlin. The little girl had his brown hair and green eyes along with Caitlin's nose and cheeks. She was going to grow up into a spitting image of her mother, he could tell.

"I missed you, Daddy." Layla left her mother's leg and jumped into her Daddy's.

"I'm so sorry Layla that I was late. You know I don't mean to, right?" Barry looked down at the little girl that was his daughter.

"I know, you're working really hard to find bad guys so they can go to jail. Mommy's just being dramatic," Layla smiled at him.

"Alright you little monster, get over here," Caitlin grabbed their daughter into her arms and gave a big kiss on her head.

"Is daddy coming home now?" Layla asked her mother.

"Of course he is," Barry assured her. "I just need to go to my lab and send in one final report,"

"This better be the last one," Caitlin said with doubt in her eyes.

"I promise," Barry said. He rushed up to his lab at a normal pace. Once he was inside, he sped around, looking for information on Zoom's whereabouts. Quickly snapping a photo of all the ones from the last month, he sent them to Cisco. Hopefully this satellite would be able to act the same as the one back home. It said they were sent, which helped to relax him slightly that Cisco received the messages.

He made his way back down to _his_ family. Layla and Caitlin actually smiled when he came into view, which, unbeknownst to him, made him smile back.

"Home?" Barry asked his wife, still smiling as he picked up his daughter.

"Home." Caitlin smiled at him and leaned in to give him a kiss on the lips.

Barry didn't react when that happened. This all felt so natural to him. This girl could have been his daughter and Caitlin as his wife. Still, the feeling of Caitlin so casually expressing love to him was a shocking feeling.

* * *

**Well? What did you all think? I got Barry and Caitlin married on Earth-2 with a little girl. Kudos to anyone who can tell where I got Layla's name from. Them being married on Earth-2 was in the works long before I actually wrote it. It was just something I felt needed to happen. And WestAllen has no place at all in my story.**

**Did the breakup between Barry and Patty feel awkward? It felt awkward to me. I mean one second, I had Barry striving to tell her he was The Flash, and the next he's withholding the fact from her. I have a few things to justify it, one of which being in the spur of the moment and Barry wasn't thinking about the consequences at the time until he was actually doing it. But still, it felt awkward to me. It was still sad to see Patty go though.**

**Leave a review. Tell me what you thought and anything you'd like to see in future chapters. I'm always open to criticism. I'll see you all next week.**


	22. So Many Lies

**It's that time of the week. Friday is today, and so I am required to supply a new chapter for all you lovely people. My co-authors, Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen, have helped me along this journey since the beginning.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash.**

* * *

"I told you it was a mistake going after him." Jay rebuked as soon as Caitlin entered the Cortex.

"Barry left the city to me. That means it's my job to protect it from harm while he's gone." Caitlin said. "It shouldn't matter whether I can win. The safety of the people are what I'm concerned about,"

"You can't save anybody if you're dead." Jay replied, crossing his arms.

"What do you want me to do, Jay?! Just stand back and watch as he destroys the city and kills countless lives?!" She exclaimed, getting frustrated with her boyfriend.

"I just care about you. There are people in this city who are paid to take care of these problems," Jay said to calm her down. "Let them handle this guy, you don't have to risk yourself like this,"

"You were a hero once, I thought that you would understand but I guess you don't. You know, Barry wouldn't give up when the city would need him, so neither will I. If you can't support that, then you're no hero," She turned back to the exit and walked away.

Jay sighed as Caitlin walked away from him. That was so frustrating. Caitlin was his girlfriend. Why did she have to compare him to Barry of all people?

"Oh, troubles in paradise?" Iris smirked at him. She was taking way too much pleasure in seeing these two argue. That just meant things weren't working out and soon she would be having Caitlin and Barry together making her nieces and nephews.

* * *

Back on Earth-2, Barry and his family just arrived at their nice little house, it was quite quaint.

"Daddy, did you know that Josh from school gave me flowers?" Layla asked excitedly, she was so excited to tell her Daddy about her day.

"Oh? Do I know this Josh? Should I talk to him?" Barry said in a worried voice. He didn't even know about this little girl until a few hours ago and already he was acting like an overprotective parent.

"Yeah, he's one of my boyfriends." Layla innocently replied with a giggle, making Barry and Caitlin laugh.

"We have quite a player in our hands, don't we, honey?" Caitlin asked with a smile. She sat down beside Barry before grabbing her daughter from her husband.

"Yes, we have-" Barry was cut off by the door opening, they turned their heads towards it and Barry's eyes welled up with tears as he saw who came in. It was Henry and Nora.

"Mom? Dad?" Barry asked with tears streaming down his face. He can't believe that this Earth's Barry has it all, the parents, the family, the job.

"I know we dropped by unannounced but I just want to thank you for the tickets to Atlantis." Nora said with a warm smile that Barry missed so much.

"I'm glad that you enjoyed them." Barry hugged his parents tightly. He would give up everything to have this Earth's Barry's life.

"Are you okay Barry? You sound a little off," Nora asked in concern.

"It's nothing. I'm just really glad to see you guys, that's all," Barry had a watery smile as he tried to hold back tears in his eyes too much. He didn't want to seem strange to his parents.

"You know what? This is perfect actually." Caitlin suddenly exclaimed after embracing her in-laws. "Barry and I were going to go out this evening and call a babysitter for little Layla, but since you two are here, do you think you can do it?"

"Of course we will Caity," Henry promised her. The use of a nickname for Caitlin stunning Barry for a second but he didn't let that show. So this Caitlin preferred to be called Caity. Something to keep in mind. "Anything to spend time with our little granddaughter,"

"Honestly, you two don't invite us over enough. Look how big she's gotten these past few months," Nora exclaimed as she brought Layla into a hug.

"Along with multiple boyfriends," Barry muttered darkly at the thought of what they were talking about beforehand.

"Really? How many do you have?" Nora excitedly asked the little girl.

"Three," Layla answered.

"Three? Well that is amazing. They must love you very much," Nora said, placing a kiss on Layla's forehead.

"Don't you think that's a little unhealthy?" Henry whispered to his wife.

"Oh relax Henry. I had five when I was her age," Nora casually mentioned.

"Why is this the first time I'm hearing of this?" Henry asked incredulously.

"Oh you'll get over it," Nora waved off her husband. "I'm going into the kitchen to make us a snack. Who wants cookies?"

"Me! Me!" Layla exclaimed, jumping up and down as she followed her grandmother into the kitchen.

"So, are you ready, Mr. Allen?" Caity asked with a sultry tone in her voice, wrapping her arms around his neck. There was a twinkle in her eyes that clearly shows that she loves him with all of her heart.

"Yes, I am. Let's get ready, Mrs. Allen." Barry responded, playing along as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling Caitlin's doppelganger closer.

"Alright you two. Don't give us another grandkid too soon," Henry teased the young married couple.

"Oh shoot," Caity mumbled, completely forgetting about the present company in their house. "This is so embarrassing,"

"You're embarrassed?" Barry asked incredulously as they grabbed their coats to head out the door. "They're my parents,"

They went out of the house and got in their car before they drove off.

* * *

"I'm sorry men in blue but I'm looking for the man in red." Geomancer said before he totalled the police cars using his powers.

"Well, I'm sorry too but I guess that you'll have to make do with me, Quakey." Frost remarked, landing behind Geomancer.

Geomancer turned to Frost. "It's Geomancer for you, Elsa."

"Don't call me that, or you'll regret it," Caitlin threatened the criminal.

"Better leave so the big boys can handle this." Geomancer said. "No way a little lady like you can deal with me,"

Geomancer sent another tremor through the ground directly towards another building inhabited by civilians.

"Save them if you can, or get taken down by me. Either way, you'll lose," Geomancer taunted her as he fled the area. "I've still got a Flash to track down."

Caitlin wanted to go after him, but the cry of the people drew her away. Barry would put the people first above catching the criminal, and that building was going down unless she did something.

Caitlin rushed as fast as she could by sliding on the ice floor she created. She needed to rethink fighting in heels. That was just terrible. Caitlin reached the base of the building and put both her hands on the wall. Frost spread across the building, encasing itself in every crack to delay its instability.

It was tiring, and she had to take special care not to drain the heat from the people inside, even though it was so tempting. Her powers craved heat, and there was only so much she could take from inanimate objects.

Caitlin poured her powers into everything to stop the building from collapsing. Soon the building stopped shaking and Caitlin pulled her hands away from the wall. The building might as well have become a winter wonderland with frost and ice covering it.

The people were rushing out of the building with officials going in to find any stragglers.

Everyone outside applauded her for her efforts, and Caitlin was filled with a sense of pride. She did it. She saved these people by herself. And the people actually liked her.

* * *

"Hey Harry, what if we can't use my powers because we're on a different Earth?" Cisco suggested as Harry rolled his eyes at the engineer.

"Of course we can't use your glasses because vibrations are messed up!" He yelled to the mechanical engineer, getting frustrated for telling something they already know.

"What I mean is what if we find my doppelgänger here or-or any meta who has the same abilities as me and copy the vibrations." Cisco replied.

"You just want to see your doppelgänger, don't you?" Harry squinted his eyes at the engineer.

"I have been trying to find him for the past few minutes, and I cannot see him anywhere," Cisco complained.

"You're supposed to be looking at the Zoom sightings Barry sent us. What are you doing looking for your doppelgänger?" Harry scolded him.

"I've got the computer running calculations," Cisco waved him off. "I'm just curious,"

"Stop wasting time. My daughter is on the line here, and if she dies because you were too lazy to actually do anything useful, there is nowhere you can hide where I won't find you," Harry threatened him.

"Okay, jeez," Cisco raised his hands in a surrender manner and went back to the computer where he inputted the Zoom locations Barry managed to send them from CCPD. "What are we going to do about Bartholomew?"

"He's still knocked out, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Harry said, doing his own work, recalibrating his gun for the required dosage to take down a speedster.

After a moment of silence, Cisco asked, "Where do you think Barry is?"

* * *

"This is nice." Caity offhandedly commented while she looked at her husband's eyes longingly.

"What is?" Barry asked.

They are currently walking around the park.

This Caitlin likes aimlessly strolling around the park rather than eating in an italian restaurant.

"This," She gestured between them. "Ever since Layla we haven't been on a date because we're both busy. And not to mention that you always come home late, I swear you love your job more than your own family."

"Of course not, that's not true. You and Layla mean a lot to me, Caity." He held her hand while looking back at his wife. He doesn't know where all the sincerity is coming from but for him, it all just feels...natural.

"I just wish we could spend more time together like this." Caity snuggled up to Barry.

"I promise, there is nothing more important in my life than the two of you," Barry assured her.

Caity smiled and placed a quick peck on his cheek as they continued their stroll in the park.

They were interrupted suddenly when two streams of flames appeared in front of them, the rest of the people around them were frozen in shock as a blue portal appeared and someone stepped out of it.

"Everybody freeze!" the man said. It was Cisco! But different. This must be his doppelgänger.

Another figure dropped down from the sky in a raging inferno. It was Ronnie. He was alive on Earth-2. The sight of him brought pain to Barry at the reminder of what happened to his friend.

Nobody moved an inch, lest something happen to them while at the threat of two metahumans.

"Alright, quick show of hands," Ronnie shouted. "Which of you are in the wrong universe?"

Immediately, Barry knew they were after him. Who else could they be talking about? Barry felt guilty that he brought these people here, but he couldn't break his cover just yet, not with two metas threatening an entire park.

Ronnie soon caught sight of them, but his gaze wasn't focused on him. "Well look who's here Reverb. The traitor,"

Cisco, or Reverb, followed his companion's gaze to where they were and developed a smirk on his face. "Glacier. Can't believe you dared to show your face."

"I've got nothing to hide," Caity said defiantly. Barry was shocked. How was it that Caity knew these people? Was she involved with them somehow?

"Oh, like how you were hiding your little boyfriend over there and left 6 years ago?" Ronnie gestured over to him.

Barry was starting to get nervous. Obviously there was some unknown history between these two that he had no place with. He wasn't even sure if his doppelgänger was even aware of his wife's past.

But something the fire meta said stuck with him. 6 years ago? Layla looked to be around the age of 5. Caitlin must have gotten pregnant with his child and left the life of a criminal to take care of her.

Caitlin had a worried expression on her face as she glanced back at her husband. She clearly had not told Bartholomew about the things she'd been up to before she met him.

"He doesn't know, does he?" Ronnie smirked at the realization. "That you used to be one of us? Just another weapon for Zoom to use,"

"I left that life behind me," Caity glared. "If I stayed, I was going to die, and so will you. You can still leave Ron,"

"I am going to die," Ronnie, or Ron, acknowledged. "But that's not today. Him maybe,"

With that, Ronnie launched a fireball straight at Barry who was too stunned to react in time.

"No!" Caity shouted as she dove to intercept the blast. Her powers were absorbing the flames, rendering them useless.

"Run!" Caity cried out desperately at Barry as well as to the general public as the familiar transformation started underway. Her eyes glowed white, mist rising from her palms and her hair turning stark white.

Barry complied and ran away as he watched his alternate wife face off against her previous allies.

Once he was far enough away, Barry vibrated his entire body so nobody would be able to recognize him. He rushed back to the park and saw Caity struggle against the two metas. If it were just one of them, she may be able to handle it, but not two at once.

Barry rushed in and tackled Reverb to the ground, allowing Caity to focus on Ron. Her powers matched up better with his.

"I knew you were here," Reverb commented as he looked at him, not with fear, but with anticipation. "The breacher, and a speedster to boot. I always wanted to kill The Flash,"

Reverb sent a few blasts of vibrational energy at him, which Barry dodged easily. He let his lightning coat cover him to offer some protection. He wasn't sure how much the electric armour could handle against Reverb, but it was better than nothing.

Barry circled Reverb, trying to find an opening, but Reverb wasn't having any of that. Reverb simply opened another portal where he was and transported elsewhere.

Barry stopped, unsure of where Reverb could come out of, but kept his senses on full alert.

The world slowed down around him, allowing him to take in everything at once in a second. Turning around, he saw the beginnings of a portal begin to form.

Not letting him get the element of surprise, Barry reached into the portal and forcefully dragged Reverb out and threw him onto the ground.

Barry stood over him, his body still vibrating with a yellow glow in his eyes. Only keeping his feet from vibrating to avoid sinking into the ground, nothing could touch him at the moment.

From the ground, Reverb snarled at him and glanced back to where Ron and Caity were still duking it out, but the battle was clearly lost. Ron was on the ground, Caity over him, icing him up. Frost creeping over his entire body, he seemed to be unable to move.

Opening another portal directly under him, Reverb got out of there and landed next to his comrade where he picked him up and got away.

"The traitor and the breacher, working together," Reverb sneered at them. "Zoom is going to have your heads," he said as he dragged the frozen body of his accomplice through another breach.

Now that they were safe, Caity let out a breath of relief and reverted her transformation back to the brunette he so loves.

That is… not what he meant to say.

"Thank you for your help," Caity expressed her gratitude. "I wouldn't have been able to handle the two of them for much longer if you hadn't shown up,"

Barry dipped his head in acknowledgment. His body is still vibrating to prevent her from recognizing him.

"They're gone now, you don't have to keep up that trick anymore," Caity said, wanting him to reveal to her who he was.

Instead of answering, Barry sped off in a burst of lightning so she couldn't ask anymore questions.

A few seconds later, he returned to her as her husband. "What was that?" he asked.

"We have a lot to talk about, Flash," Caity glared angrily at him.

Barry blinked a few times at the reveal that she knew. "I think we do,"

* * *

Barry and Caity walked to the Cortex, where they found Harry and Cisco working on his Vibe Glasses while Bartholomew was still knocked out cold and he was cuffed into a table.

Cisco looked up and saw Barry and Caity standing on the entrance of the Cortex, which surprised him.

"Caitlin?"

"What the hell have you done to my husband?!" She exclaimed, quickly running to her unconscious husband.

"Husband?!" Cisco shouted.

"Yeah, see Caitlin and I, on this Earth that is, we're… married," Barry reluctantly said.

Cisco blinked his eyes and raised an eyebrow in suspicion at Barry. "You're married?"

"With a little girl at home," Barry nodded his head as he admitted it awkwardly.

It appeared as if Cisco's brain had just short-circuited. "Do you- How can you- Why?!"

Barry just shrugged. He honestly didn't know how to answer that question without making it seem like he enjoyed being Caitlin's husband. Not that he didn't, he just would rather not admit it.

"Caity?" Bartholomew asked groggily, starting to wake up.

"Hey honey, what did they do to you?"

"They tased me. They freakin' tased me." Barry winced at his doppelgänger's words.

"It's alright, baby. We should go home now. Layla misses you." Bartholomew nodded his head, slowly standing up.

"Why did you bring her here?" Harry asked Barry.

"Because we need her help. She knows where Zoom is," Barry told them.

"What? You know where Zoom is? How? How on Earth would you know that?" Bartholomew asked his wife.

"Please don't get mad," Caity quietly begged him.

"I'm gonna be angry if you don't tell me what's going on," Bartholomew said.

Closing her eyes in resignation, Caitlin allowed her transformation to occur once again, bleaching her hair and her skin turning pale. When she opened her eyes once again, they were glowing with power.

Letting the revelation sink in, she reverted her appearance back to normal.

"You- you- you're…" Bartholomew stuttered.

"Can we have some privacy?" Caity asked the others in the room.

"This is my building, get your own privacy," Harry demanded, getting back to work on the goggles.

Caity dragged her husband off to find an empty room where they could have a private conversation about what just occurred.

Once they were alone, Caity turned to face her husband with small tears in her eyes, dread plastered on her face with her biting her lower lip in the anticipation of what he would say.

"Talk to me," Caity said.

"Talk to you? I can barely even look at you," Bartholomew admitted. "6 years of my life. A lie,"

"I never lied to you." Caity insisted. "There were just some things I never told you,"

"_Some things_? Is that what you call them? _Some things_?" Bartholomew asked incredulously. "These aren't just _some things_ Cait_lin_. Okay, your ex-boyfriends are _some things_. Being in debt are _some things. _Having powers are not _some things._"

When Caity heard Bartholomew call her by her actual name, she knew things had gotten serious. "I'm sorry. Okay? Is that what you want to hear? I'm _sorry,_"

"I just don't understand. You said you worked in a dentistry, not that you were the ice villainess Glacier," Bartholomew shook his head.

"I did work in dentistry, but when I found out about my powers I quit. I left that life behind me before anyone could find out," Caity told him. "Then I met Zoom and he offered me to join him and I couldn't refuse,"

"Well obviously you could, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation right now," Bartholomew said.

"Things changed," Caity said desperately. "I met someone. Someone wonderful and honest. Someone who saw the person behind this cold exterior I put up. And I fell in love,"

Bartholomew swallowed. Then a sudden horror filled him. "What about Layla? Is she…?" he trailed off.

Caity shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Something like this has never been documented. If she has powers, she's never exhibited any. If she has any at all."

"That doesn't matter," Bartholomew shook his head. "Whether she has powers or not, it doesn't matter. She's our daughter, and I'll love her no matter what. I just wish I could have prepared if she does. And I could have if you told me about your past!"

"You think I'm proud of this? That I used to resort to robbing banks to make a living?" Caity had tears streaming down her face as she said that. "I'm ashamed of who I used to be. So when I met you and got pregnant with Layla, I left Zoom and begged for my job back at the dentistry."

"I remember you. I used to work to track you down when I was first starting at CCPD as an assistant CSI. I can't believe I never saw this before. I'm an idiot,"

"Don't blame yourself. Lots of people don't look beyond aesthetics. With my hair and my eyes, lots of people wouldn't recognize me." Caity stated.

The two sat in silence, taking quick glances at each other to make sure the other was still there and had not run off on them.

"So where does this leave us?" Caity asked, her eyes red at the fear of her husband leaving her.

"Well I love you Caity. I do. I love you so much and Layla as well." Bartholomew said. "When I married you, I married every part of you, the parts that I could see and the ones I didn't."

"You still love me?" Caity asked in a disbelieving tone.

"Of course I do. You're my wife, and I will love you until the day I die. Nothing is going to change that." Bartholomew brought Caity into a hug as Caity started bawling her eyes out into his shirt. "I'm just gonna need a little time to process all this,"

"Just come back to me," Caity sobbed into his shirt.

"I'll always come back to you Caity because you are my home."

"You're crazy to love me," Caity said, pulling away to look at him.

"Love is crazy. If it were simple, it wouldn't be love, it would be something I could just throw away. Something that wasn't worth fighting for," Bartholomew cupped Caity's face so she would be forced to look directly at him. "You are worth everything to me. This is what I want to work at everyday because I am in love with you and I want to spend every second for the rest of my life working on this with you,"

Caity leaned in and kissed him passionately which Bartholomew responded eagerly.

"I love you Mr. Allen," Caity whispered.

"I love you Mrs. Allen," Bartholomew whispered back.

* * *

Night passed, and the inhabitants of Earth-1 were still under the attack of Geomancer. He'd gone silent since the last time Caitlin faced him, which they were all grateful for, but were worrying over as well.

Morning came, and as usual, Caitlin was the first one to arrive at STAR Labs. She immediately got to work. There were several alerts, but none of them were signifying a meta attack. They were notifications that Barry would need to look over once he returned that Caitlin filed away. Honestly, she felt somewhat like a glorified secretary.

Jay was still asleep in the bunkers and Iris and Joe were at work. They would arrive for their lunch breaks unless something came up.

Caitlin felt she needed to have a talk with Jay about where their relationship was going. She liked him a lot, but without Barry here to be the hero, Caitlin had to step up, not that she was complaining. But the moment she did, Jay seemed to do nothing but complain and make it seem as if he didn't want her to be a hero at all.

It was forcing Caitlin to see a side of Jay that she wasn't very happy with. And one she didn't think she could overlook considering being a hero was a part of her now. She'd always expected that Jay would be in support of her, since he was once a hero as well, but instead it was if he hated the idea of being a hero and wanted her to step aside. It just didn't make any sense to her.

She hated to admit it, but she felt a break up might be inevitable.

Caitlin's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a rumbling. Caitlin activated the cameras they had outside of STAR Labs. Right at the entrance was Geomancer.

"Ice Queen!" he shouted. "I know you're in there! If The Flash won't show, maybe killing his little girlfriend will finally get him out of hiding!"

Rolling her eyes at the 'girlfriend' comment, she went outside to confront Geomancer.

"You wanted to see me? Also sorry, hate to break it to you but there's no way in hell I'm falling in love with that idiot, Quakey." Caitlin came out of the building from dropping down from the roof on an ice structure.

"You really wanna die, don't you?" Geomancer snarked back.

"I've got people depending on me, so I'm not dying. Not to you at least," Caitlin regarded him with an almost disapproving look.

The two of them faced off against each other, both waiting to see who would make the first move. With no civilians around, neither would be occupied with thoughts of other people.

Having had enough, Geomancer hit the ground with his fist sending tremors through the ground he controlled. The ground broke away where large spires of pointed rocks shot from the earth and headed straight towards Caitlin.

Not having enough time to dodge, Caitlin blasted a stream of mist past the rocks that hit directly with Geomancer's chest at the same time the rocks managed to reach her. One of them pierced through her suit and drew blood from her midsection.

Geomancer had been encased in a cube of ice, unable to move. Caitlin really put all her power into that one shot. Caitlin was left clutching her torso to stop from bleeding profusely. She was starting to feel light headed as her hand was drenched in her own blood.

Caitlin iced her wound up to stop from bleeding before going back inside to stitch herself up. She'd call Joe to pick Geomancer up from outside as soon as she got herself to a phone.

She was heavily proud of herself as she returned to the Cortex, but the smile on her face instantly vanished as soon as she saw Jay waiting for her, having witnessed everything from the cameras.

It may be time for that long talk.

* * *

**So nobody guessed where I got the name Layla for Bartholomew and Caity's daughter. In fact, nobody guessed at all. I'll just tell you anyway. I got the name because that was the name of Danielle Panabaker's character in the movie 'Sky High', which is another superhero movie.**

**We got a little insight into the lovely Allen family. It was fun to create their backstory. I could already imagine how it all went down. In case you couldn't tell, I have fun adding in my own little things. It's the best part of the story and not just sticking to the storyline.**

**Some tension between Caitlin and Jay. Jay's 'death' is upon us, so I thought it appropriate to show that Jay's true colours. Not all of that is going to be hidden behind a fancy smile.**

**I think I've said all that needs to be said. So I'll see you all next week. Give me your thoughts on the chapter. I live off your reviews. Really, just tell me if you thought it was good or bad. Adios.**


	23. Wild Accusations

**Time goes by. I'm sorry I'm a little late on this. I was busy watching the new season of Umbrella Academy on Netflix. So good. Anyway, my co-authors always help me out with my story. Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Flash.**

* * *

"So this is where Zoom is?" Barry asked

They are standing in front of a huge cliffside, there is a small opening in the middle where they assume Zoom's lair is.

"The most likely place for Zoom to keep a prisoner. As you can imagine, he doesn't keep many," Caity told them.

"Brilliant. A place where only a speedster can easily access," Harry commented.

"Alright, I'll take Harry and Cisco, you take Bartholomew," Barry said to Caity, who was already creating stairs out of ice for them to climb.

Barry grabbed hold of the two and raced them up the cliffside into the cavern where several empty cages were. Out of the many, only four of them contained a living being.

"Jesse!" Harry exclaimed and rushed at the sight of his missing daughter.

Caity and Bartholomew entered to see Harry trying to tear off Jesse's chains. "A little help?"

Caity rolled her eyes and proceeded to grab hold of the chain. The freezing temperatures weakened the metal enough for it to easily snap. "You didn't think to bring something in case she was chained?"

"As sassy as ever I see," a voice sounded in a nearby cage. "You really haven't changed a bit,"

Everyone turned to one of the other cages that were containing someone. Within two of the cages, side by side were the metas Barry and Caity faced last night.

The two of them stepped forward so everyone could see Reverb and Deathstorm.

"What are you two doing there?" Caity asked, stepping closer to Ron's cell.

"Zoom found out that the breacher escaped, locked us up right after," Ron explained while glaring at Bartholomew. "So you're the husband?"

"Yeah, I am," Bartholomew responded with a nervous demeanour to him. His eyes shifting back and forth, trying not to look directly at the dangerous fire meta.

Ron nodded his head, his glare stuck on Bartholomew. "Take care of her."

"We're getting you out of there," Caity said, destroying the lock.

"Why would you do that? We tried to kill you," Reverb said, shocked.

"We were partners once. Just because I left doesn't mean I stopped caring. You guys were all I had in life at one point." Caity explained. "Don't expect the same treatment again though."

"There won't be a next time," a voice growled behind them.

Everyone turned around to see Zoom had returned. Slowly stalking them, making sure they wouldn't be making a move.

"How convenient. You've brought all the people I want to kill in one place for me to do it," Zoom said.

"Whatever your plan is, I'm going to stop you." Barry said, stepping between Zoom and his friends.

"Your attempts were futile last time we met, what prevents me from snapping your back and killing all of you right now?" Zoom's eyes were staring daggers at all of them.

"Me." Caity said before her hair became platinum blonde and her eyes became ice cold with mist coming off of her hands.

Caity blasted cold mist directly at Zoom, freezing him in place while the others tried to make a break for it.

"It's no good," Ron grabbed Caity's arms and pushed her back. "Just run while you have the chance."

"We'll hold him off," Reverb replied, placing his own goggles back over his eyes. He immediately shot his vibrational blasts at the slightly weakened speedster with Ron soon joining in.

"Thank you," Caity said.

"Now we're even," Ron said, shooting his flames to add in Reverb's attack.

Everyone else was already at the mouth of the cave. "I'll take Harry and Jesse. Get Cisco and Bartholomew down." Barry told Caity.

Barry sped off with the father and daughter and Caity created an ice slide for the others to get down.

Cisco was sliding down with her husband cautiously stepping onto the ice. Chancing a look back, Caity saw Zoom gaining the advantage. A hole was in Reverb's chest, clearly dead. Deathstorm was holding him off as much as possible, but only the heat of his flames seemed to be keeping Zoom at bay. Sooner or later, Zoom would get through and end him.

Caity hated to leave them behind, but she did. She chose to leave this life behind. She never wanted to come back, but she always knew her past would sneak back up to her. But now it was over as she jumped onto the ice to get down the cliff.

"You know, this is gonna be one hell of a bedtime story." Bartholomew said as soon as she got off the ice slide.

"What about the man with the iron mask?" Jesse asked, worried for the other prisoner.

"We can come back for him after we defeat Zoom but for now, we have to return to our own Earth. I need to check if Ms. Frosty kept her promise." Barry said.

"Ms. Frosty?" Caity asked with one of her eyebrows raised.

"He's referring to our Caitlin, it's kinda their nicknames for each other." Cisco briefly explained. "Speaking of Caitlin, can you two do me a favour?" He asked with a huge grin in his face.

* * *

"Alright, they should come back any moment now." Caitlin said while she waited with the rest of Team Flash in front of the opened breach.

"There's only five minutes left, I think they're not gonna make it." Jay said, his finger lingering in the lever.

"Will you please shut up?! They're going to make it!" Caitlin snapped at Jay, her eyes are ice cold. She was irritated at how negative Jay is.

"Calm down, Caitlin and take five." Iris said, calming down Caitlin before she blasted the former speedster into a wall.

Caitlin took a deep breath and walked away to calm herself. She immediately returned upon the sound of the breach opening as it spit out Harry with a girl in his arms, presumably his daughter Jesse.

Next came Cisco yelling, "Zoom's right behind us. Get ready to close it!"

* * *

"How can I thank you for everything you've done?" Barry asked Caity.

"Just call it my deed to society, especially thanks to my past," Caity said.

"You guys should get out of Central City in the meantime. Get Layla and run," Barry said in concern.

"We've got some friends in Star City that can help us hide. We'll stay there for awhile. We're counting on you to take Zoom down," Bartholomew said to ease his doppelgänger's concerns.

"Before you go, a bit of advice," Caity said. "When Bartholomew and I met, we didn't like each other much, but we eventually learned to love each other. Stop skirting around the issue and tell her,"

Barry shook his head. "There's nothing to tell. We've made it fairly clear to everyone that there will never be anything between us,"

"Things change. Take it from us, we've been there. And if your Caitlin is anything like mine, trust me. There will never be a moment where you won't have something to say to her," Bartholomew assured him.

Barry was about to respond but the sound of a speedster echoing in the hall disturbed them.

"Run!" Barry shouted to the couple as he rushed to the breach. Hoping Zoom wouldn't go after them.

Exiting out on the other end of the breach, Barry shouted to Jay who was poised to close the breach forever.

"Throw it! He's right behind me!" Barry yelled.

Quickly, Jay chucked the bomb into the breach where it began closing in on itself.

Laughing, everyone hugged each other at a successful mission. Everything turned out alright in the end. Jay took a step forward to join the celebration before a hand shot out of the breach and plunged itself through Jay's chest and dragged his body back through the breach before it closed.

Everyone was silent as they watched their fellow comrade be killed right before their eyes. Slowly, their gazes fell on the brunette woman who was staring agape at the empty space where her boyfriend once was.

"Caitlin." Barry whispered softly, walking towards her and hugging her. She tried to struggle under his grip but after a few moments, she gave up and just cried against his chest. "I'm so sorry."

"Why? Why does this always happen to me?" Caitlin asked before she felt someone place a hand over her shoulder and she saw it was Cisco.

"I'm so sorry." Cisco said before wrapping the both of them in a hug.

"You know what's worse? I don't feel as devastated as I should be and the guilt of knowing that, it makes me feel terrible."

"Do you need anything? I can get whatever you want as quick as it takes for you to say it," Barry offered.

"Just please, leave me alone. I just need to be alone at the moment. I'm going to lie down so just please…" Caitlin begged them as she left the room.

"I'm gonna make sure that she will make it home safe." Barry said after a few minutes before leaving as well.

* * *

"After two freaking years! We finally have ourselves a lady speedster, tell me is she hot, you know for totally scientific purposes?" Cisco asked as the others rolled their eyes at him.

"I'll be sure to ask her out for you before we race." Barry sarcastically replied.

"That's my boy."

"What does she look like?" Caitlin asked before Barry raised his eyebrows at her. "I meant her appearance. Does she have a suit or just regular clothes?"

"Definitely a suit, it looks like it's made from a lab. It has everything that a speedster needed; friction proof, heat and cold resistant, and it was aerodynamic for much better turns. This girl is a pro." Barry explained as he drew the suit for the team to see.

"Where could she have gotten something like this?" Cisco asked.

"Definitely not here. The only other place I can think of is Mercury Labs off the top of my head." Caitlin responded.

"Can you think of anyone? You used to work there after all," Barry asked Caitlin.

"I didn't know everyone there. There are lots of departments that I never interacted with. There are a few people I can call to keep a lookout," Caitlin said, pulling out her phone to check her contacts.

"In the meantime, let's try to figure out where she came from. Is she another meta from Earth-2 we missed?" Barry suggested.

"No, if Zoom had another speedster in his midst, he'd kill them as soon as possible." Harry shot down the idea.

"Well then that means she must have come from our particle accelerator," Barry said.

"But it's been years. If she's had these powers all along, why only reveal them now? See, it doesn't make sense," Cisco pointed out.

"I'm not saying it makes sense. I'm saying that's the only possibility of where a speedster can come from on our Earth." Barry said.

"Unless there's something we're missing," Cisco said.

"Guys, bad news," Caitlin came back with a worried expression on her face. "I just got off the phone with Dr. McGee. You're not going to believe what they've been creating there."

"Speedster suits? They're trying to steal my thing," Cisco accused them.

"Not just that. Speed drugs," Caitlin revealed. "Once administered, a regular human gains impossible speeds. They're still in the experimental stage, but Dr. McGee says a few vials have gone missing."

"So our female speedster is… a fake?" Cisco asked.

"If her speed came from a drug, it's possible her powers are unstable. They don't know how complex the Speed Force actually is. It can't be replicated." Harry claimed.

"Just means we need to catch her before something happens. We don't know what will happen to her," Barry said.

* * *

The team managed to procure a few samples of the speed drug, Velocity 9, or V9 for short, to examine it.

"It seems we were right," Harry said. "One dose of this, and the user's genetic structure seems to be degenerating. I can only imagine what's happening within that girl,"

"You know, now that I'm looking at it, this seems familiar to me for some reason," Caitlin said, examining the cells they applied the V9 to.

"Where could you have seen this before?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. It just seems familiar," Caitlin shrugged her shoulders.

The drug seemed to mimic the conditions of Barry's cells with their increased metabolism and heavy consumption of oxygen in order to maintain the desired speed. But the drug seemed to be pushing the limit one's body could handle, which was why the V9 continued eating away at the user's health.

"So, have you guys found anything yet?" Barry asked, walking into the Cortex.

"We've found out a lot about the drug. If used enough, it could make the user surpass even Zoom. It pushes the body beyond the limit, but has everlasting consequences. Whoever this female speedster is, I'm pretty sure she's dying." Caitlin informed him.

"Have you taken care of those reports I gave you when you returned?" Caitlin asked, having given him many files that seemed very important that arrived during his time on the alternate Earth.

"Just a couple projects I needed to sign approval for. As well as the decision to release one of our new projects. It has the potential to make a lot of money." Barry said. "Oh, that reminds me, I need to go on a business conference to Coast City soon, think you can cover for me here?"

"Shouldn't be a problem," Caitlin said with a strained smile.

"If you want, I can just ask Cisco to cover for me. He's getting really good with his powers so I think having a few days of field experience could be good for him," Barry offered instead.

"I said I can handle it. Honestly, you don't need to treat me like a china doll. Jay died. There, I said it and nothing is going to change that. I'm sad, but I'm not as sad as I thought I would be," Caitlin said. "If I'm honest, I don't think we were going to work out."

"Okay, just checking," Barry said as he walked away.

Harry's face remained neutral as he stared at the lone vial on the counter. Dr. McGee has supplied them with three and they were experimenting with one.

* * *

"Why did you take it?" Harry accused Barry before he could go any farther once they were alone in the breach room.

"I didn't take it," Barry denied.

"Oh? You didn't?" Harry said in a disbelieving tone.

"No." Barry insisted. "I took it, but I haven't taken it,"

"Good, keep it at that," Harry said.

"If the board is already rigged, why can't I even the playing field?" Barry asked.

"You want to know why? It's because that's a sign of weakness. It means you weren't able to cut it. If you do this, you will regret it for the rest of your life," Harry explained.

"I need to get faster, but there never seems to be any time. This is my answer," Barry held out the vial of red liquid.

"If you want to do it, fine. Just know that if you do, all the work you've put in will be wasted. There's a right way, and a wrong way. Which do you think this is?" Harry said as he walked back to the Cortex.

Barry contemplated his words as he stared at the small vial in his hands. Just one drop, and he'd be faster than he's ever gone before. Just one drop, and nothing will ever be able to stand in his way again.

Carefully, he unscrewed the top, gave it another one over, and let it slip between his fingers and spill all over the floor.

* * *

Once everyone had returned to the Cortex, everything turned into a blur, even to Barry.

At once, in a blur of yellow lightning, Barry found himself locked in the Pipeline without his powers.

"Time to have some fun!" The woman said in a singing tone.

She returned to the Cortex with a gun in her hand aimed straight at Jesse. "Where the V9?"

"The what?" Cisco feigned ignorance.

"Don't play dumb," she snarled. "I know Dr. McGee gave you some, where is it? Or I swear I will shoot,"

"Here, just take it," Harry handed her the vial.

"Just one? How pathetic," she prepared to run.

"Who are you?" Cisco asked.

"My name is Trajectory," she said with a savage smile as she sped off.

"Why do the crazy ones always name themselves?" Cisco asked rhetorically now that Trajectory was gone.

"Cisco, get Barry out of his cell. We've got to catch her fast," Caitlin said.

They tracked her to a bridge that she was trying to collapse by running back and forth on it. It seemed the V9 had done more than give her speed and an incurable illness. It seemed to tamper with her mind since there was absolutely no point besides just causing damage.

"I've got to get out there," Barry said.

"Wait, take me with you. I can help," Caitlin said.

Barry just shook her head. "She's not thinking straight. She'll be easy to catch, I just need to be able to talk her down afterwards."

Arriving at the scene, Barry went to work. Staying hidden, he watched her movement to wait for the right moment to catch her. Once he saw it, he sprung into action and dragged her elsewhere away from the bridge before it collapsed.

Barry slammed her into a wall. Trajectory slumped down to the ground, trying to catch her breath. The V9 must be wearing off and the strain her body must be under without her powers must be excruciating.

"Just stop. It's over Trajectory. Look at you, you're not well," Barry said to her.

"But I will be," Trajectory said, pulling out the last vial she had, hovering over her leg.

"Wait! Don't do this. I know what it's like to want everything to just slow down, like there's no time to do it the right way. But it's a cop out, and this is killing you! You need help," Barry begged her to listen to reason.

Barry could see the hesitation in her eyes, but she closed them and stabbed herself with the needle, injecting the last of the speed drug in her system. "That is all the help I need. How does it feel to know that I'm faster than you'll ever be? Catch you later," she waved goodbye before speeding off.

Barry looked at her and was about to pursue her, but a sight made him pause. "The lightning. It's turning blue," he mumbled to himself.

Racing up to her, Barry only managed to catch the end as it appeared that Trajectory had dissolved before his very eyes. Her suit and mask left behind with the last remnants of her blue lightning flickering on her suit.

* * *

"What happened out there? She just vanished from our readings." Cisco said when Barry finally entered the Cortex.

"I dunno, she just...vanished, leaving her suit behind." Barry pulled out Trajectory's suit.

"What do you-" Cisco was cut off by Caitlin entering the Cortex.

"Guys, I pulled out the medical records we have for the last month and I finally recognize what happened to our lady speedster. She has the same condition as Jay, their cells are dying rapidly."

"Jay took speed steroids?" Cisco asked incredulously. "That doesn't sound like him. I mean he was a hero. He wouldn't stoop so low as to take something like this,"

"I need to tell you guys something," Barry said. "Right before Trajectory vanished, her lightning, it turned blue."

"Like Zoom?" Caitlin asked.

"Exactly." Barry nodded at her. "So what if Velocity 9 causes that? Turns a speedster's lightning blue?"

"Well if that's true, then that means-" Cisco said but was interrupted by Harry.

"He's dying. He's dying and he needs your speed for a cure,"

"Same as Jay," Barry mumbled just loud enough for the whole room to hear him as he looked at Caitlin.

"What? No, he's dead. We saw Zoom kill him." Cisco denied. "There's no way he could be Zoom."

"Cisco, we've all seen a speedster be in two places at once." Barry reminded him that it wasn't out of the realm of possibility for something like this to happen.

"But he's been here the entire time. There's no way he could be at Earth-2 and here at the same time." Iris said.

"Look, I am just stating facts here. We've never encountered Zoom with Jay beside us. We need to consider the possibility," Barry said.

"I thought we got over your little trust issues Fleet Feet. Now that there's even a little bit of doubt, you think Jay's Zoom?" Caitlin accused him.

"I don't want this to be true, but the facts line up Ms. Frosty. If Jay is Zoom then we are all in danger." Barry shouted.

"Jay died for you! And now you're actually thinking that this man has been deceiving us the entire time?" Caitlin yelled. "Jay helped us. He told us things about his Earth and the metas that came over. He stabilized the breach for us,"

"All that means nothing if he is who I think he is!" Barry glared at her. "People lie Caitlin! That's what they do. Zoom is dying and he needs a cure from my speed. And he is going to do everything in his power to make that happen."

"It can't be true. Jay is a good man. I know he is. You need to get over yourself and stop accusing your friends of things without proof." Caitlin said. "You think everybody is out to get you, but some people actually mean what they say."

"Oh? Then I guess I just imagined what happened last year with The Reverse Flash. The man who murdered my mother woke me from my coma. The man who stole my childhood taught me how to be The Flash. Who manipulated me into being his lap dog. I'm never letting that happen again Ms. Frosty and if there is even a chance that Jay is not who he said he was, I'm gonna look into it," Barry was seething as he grit his teeth.

"Well, how are you going to look into it, Fleet Feet? Jay is dead. Murdered by Zoom and his body was dragged through the breach. There is nothing to look into," Caitlin was glaring daggers at Barry. Barry would have been dead several times over if looks could kill.

"Cisco can use his powers to see him. See if what I think is true. That Jay is Zoom." Barry said.

"How am I supposed to do that? It's not like my powers have an on and off switch. They just appear randomly." Cisco said.

"You've been practising your powers. You can do this. You just need to focus on what's important here," Barry said. "That's why we built those goggles for you, so you can control them better,"

"Alright, I'll give it a try," Cisco relented as he pulled out his goggles. Turning them on and placing them on his face.

It took a second, but everyone could see Cisco's face turn as white as Caitlin when her powers were activated. Rushing, he pulled his goggles off, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"What did you see?" Barry asked.

"I saw Zoom." Cisco said solemnly at Caitlin. With an apologetic look he continued. "He's Jay,"

Everybody took a second to process this, that they allowed someone else to enter their lives and ruin them from the inside. Everyone looked at Caitlin to see the turmoil beneath her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I never wanted to be right." Barry whispered to her.

"Well you were," Caitlin scowled at him. "Barry Allen is always right, no matter what. It's always about him. Everything is always about him."

"Caitlin…" Barry reached out a hand to place on her shoulder, but Caitlin immediately swatted it away.

"Don't touch me. Don't you dare touch me," Caitlin's voice was cracking as tears were formed in her eyes. "I loved him. So don't say everything will be okay because it's not. Nothing is okay,"

Caitlin walked out of the Cortex for some alone time. Nobody had the heart to follow her.

* * *

**Jay's identity has come to light. In the same chapter that had him die. Should I feel bad for that? I don't. A big blow up between Barry and Caitlin. I told you guys that sensitive matters like this would create intense arguments. Caitlin clinging on to the man she once loved. And Barry who never really liked the guy finding out he's a mass murderer. Yikes.**

**Tell me what you thought. If there is anything I need to make more clear, ask me anytime. I'll be sure to get back to you as soon as possible. Maybe even your thoughts on how I'm going to end the season, before taking another break before I post season 3. I'm definitely going to need to take a break. Give the creative juice some rest before putting it back to work. Especially since this season is over twice as long as the first. Plus I have some great plans for season 3. It's the season that everyone has been waiting for. Caitlin and Barry will finally get together.**

**Anyway, I'll see you all next week. Farewell.**


	24. Motivations

**Time waits for no one. We've arrived at another Friday, which means it's time to give your weekly dose of story time. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourite, or followed this the past week. I wouldn't be able to do this without my co-authors Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen.**

**Disclaimer: I have no rights to anything DC related.**

* * *

Barry was running on the cosmic treadmill, training to get faster than Zoom. Than Jay. He was training nonstop for the last week, making him faster than ever before but not fast enough.

"Allen, I think I found something." Harry's voice echoed in the room.

He walked outside to his team, sweat covering his forehead from the extensive training.

"You, Zoom, and Reverse Flash are all moving your legs at the same speed." Harry pulled up a simulation to prove his point.

"Then why are they faster than me?"

"They're not. With each step they take, their feet spend less time on the ground, propelling themselves harder." Cisco continued.

"By nearly 30 percent," Barry grumbled angrily to himself as he looked over the numbers. "Well I need to make up that difference somehow."

"What are you going to do? You're not taking V9, even if you wanted to, we would stop you." Cisco said, lightly threatening him if he ever considered sullying his body like before.

Harry had informed the rest of the team about Barry's momentary lapse in judgement. They needed to make sure he wouldn't be tempted again.

"What about The Reverse Flash? He managed it without any V9?" Barry asked.

"That was due to tachyon enhancements and there isn't exactly a large supply at the moment," Cisco said.

"Then what would you suggest?" Barry asked.

The Cortex at the moment only housed the three of them. Joe and Iris were at work and nobody had seen Caitlin since the day Jay was revealed to be Zoom. But Killer Frost had been making headlines recently, but nobody dared to approach her. Although Iris had finally officially supplied the name of the ice heroine.

Barry couldn't help but remember the Caitlin he'd met on Earth-2 when seeing her on a TV screen. He often wondered what was happening with his counterparts, which is one of the reasons spurring him to take on Zoom.

"You want my advice Allen? Forget about Earth-2. Forget about Zoom. Focus on your own world. You don't need to worry yourself with matters that don't concern you," Harry voiced his opinion on Barry's desire to return to Earth-2.

"Hey! No! I'm not leaving an entire world at the mercy of Zoom. That's your world. Your people. I'm not going to abandon them." Barry shouted.

Cisco tentatively raised a hand in the air. "I hate to agree with dark and moody over there, but he has a point. We barely got out of there alive last time. Not very keen on going back."

"Thank you Ramon. Zoom is already dying. Just leave it alone. Those people you're so concerned about? They don't exist, at least not to you." Harry silently gazed at Barry, examining him. "Tell us what this is really about."

Barry shrugged. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't pretend. You want to get to Zoom for some reason."

"It's nothing." Barry shrugged once again.

"Don't say it's nothing. You are willing to risk yourself, your own Earth just to get back at Zoom for some reason. I think we're all entitled to know that reason Allen,"

"Because he hurt Caitlin!" Barry blurted out. "I want him to pay for what he's done. He manipulated all of us but especially Caitlin. He toyed with her heart and threw it away like it was nothing! And now I want to go back and make him regret ever meeting us!"

"So this isn't about you. This is about Caitlin," Harry said. That wasn't what he was expecting.

"No! I-I don't know. All I know is that he hurt Caitlin badly and I want him to pay for that." Barry hung his head in defeat.

The moment was ruined by Barry's phone chiming, breaking the silence. Barry pulled it out and checked it. It was a text from Joe.

"It's Joe. He wants to have lunch with Iris, Wally and I back at the house. See you guys later." Barry didn't wait for a response before speeding away.

* * *

When he returned to STAR Labs the next day, he didn't expect to see Caitlin to be on the med bay, cleaning her equipment.

"When did she get here?" Barry whispered to Cisco.

"Just this morning, she hasn't talked to anybody since then." Cisco not-so-subtly replied.

"You know I can hear you two, right?" She looked at them with a tired face.

"Oh, so you're talking to us again Ms. Frosty? What are you even doing here?" Barry eyed her suspiciously.

"I still work here. Am I not allowed to enter my place of work? Or am I fired, Fleet Feet?" Caitlin retorted.

"Nobody has seen you for weeks and all of a sudden you show up. What's going on Caitlin?"

Caitlin shrugged. "You tell me. I got a text from Harry saying to come down to STAR Labs right now."

"Hey Snow, glad you could make it. Now, since we're all here, can you please talk Mr. Allen out of his plan since you're his reason why he's doing it?" Harry said, entering the room.

"What do you mean?" Caitlin asked, confused.

"I have no idea what he's talking about," Barry denied, shaking his head no. He didn't want Caitlin to know his reasons. That was his business.

"Just tell her already. It'll save us all a big headache."

"Tell me what? What are you talking about me being the reason you're doing this?" Caitlin asked, utterly confused.

"Ignore him. We've been talking about ways to get me faster and he thinks you're my inspiration or something." Barry played it off as nothing.

"What is your plan to get faster then?" Caitlin asked instead. If Barry won't tell her, she'll just have to get the information from someone else, namely Cisco.

"I think it's time I take a page out of Thawne's book. Tachyon enhancements." Barry revealed.

"I thought we already ruled that out? Where are we gonna get enough tachyons for this to work?" Cisco asked.

"We'll make them. We have the funding now that STAR is an operational company. Shouldn't take more than a few weeks." Barry said. "What's the point of having millions of dollars if we're not going to use it for our own gains?"

Everybody took a moment to think it over. He had a point. This was the entire reason Barry reopened STAR to the public. So they could continue their own research with a solid backing behind their plans. It wasn't the old days when they were working with the barest essentials.

Soon everybody nodded their heads in agreement. At least, Cisco and Caitlin were. Harry was still reluctant to assist in returning to Earth-2, but he would help to improve Barry's speed.

"Last minute thing. I'm going on a conference trip to Coast City tomorrow. I think I mentioned it?" Barry asked.

"Yeah, you did," Caitlin confirmed.

"You guys okay with covering for me for the next few days?"

"We've got it covered. Just leave the city in our capable hands," said Cisco.

Barry sped off to pack his things before he forgot, leaving the rest of them in the Cortex.

* * *

The next day, Barry had already left with promises to return within the next couple days but to call him if anything were to go wrong.

Barry had already spent the money that would be more than enough to cover their expenses for the tachyons. With all the advancements in the scientific field these days, it shouldn't take them more than a few weeks with no interruptions.

Of course, things always have to go wrong when things are needed to remain calm.

They had gotten a visit from John and Lyla about a meta captive Argus was containing. King Shark had escaped and he was making a course to Central City.

"He would only ever say one thing. 'Zoom wants The Flash dead.'" Lyla informed them.

"Well unfortunately for him, he's not gonna get The Flash. Barry's on a business trip to Coast City. He won't be back for a couple days." Cisco told them.

"That's both good and bad. While it means Barry is out of danger, we were kinda hoping he would be able to help us. We're not exactly equipped to take down a giant walking shark." John said.

"Not to worry. You have us. Caitlin and I are both metas. We'll be able to take down this walking fish stick for you,"

Diggle and Lyla looked at him in concern. "Are you sure? I mean, Caitlin I can understand, but I thought you've only discovered your powers a few months ago?"

"Hurtful!" Cisco gasped. "I will have you know I've been a big help in taking down our criminals. Barry trusts me. He left me in charge,"

"Well he left _me_ in charge and said you could help," Caitlin corrected him.

"Why do you gotta do me like that?" Cisco asked in betrayal.

"So, will you help?" Lyla asked.

"You can count on us," Caitlin assured them.

* * *

While King Shark could travel on foot, he still required water to survive. That meant he would most likely be travelling through the ocean.

Several units were displaced to keep an eye on the pier. Caitlin was waiting. With her powers and a shark's biology, she'd be able to put him down before anyone got hurt.

Cisco was on standby in case he was needed. Mostly to help the normal humans get out of the way with his breaches. His vibe blasts were still not fully functional, but he would make for a good escape plan.

It took all day, but there was movement in the water. At once, their guns were locked in on the giant body.

A geyser shot up and King Shark landed on the pier. He was exactly how he was described. A great white shark with legs and a pair of pants.

Everyone fired, but the aquatic beast didn't seem to notice. It didn't even seem like he knew they were there.

The bullets either bounced off him, or they were lucky enough to break through the scales, but were healed instantly. His regeneration abilities were even faster than Barry's. Caitlin wasn't sure how that would work, but there wasn't time to think about it.

Caitlin took a deep breath and blew out her cold breath onto the giant shark.

The temperature instantly shot down and King Shark began to wobble due to the sudden drop in temperature. His body couldn't handle sudden changes. It just wasn't what they were designed for and the same held true for walking meta sharks apparently.

Using the last vestiges of his strength, King Shark jumped back into the water to return to a more comfortable setting. In the water, he had the advantage. He could move freely and travel anywhere he pleased.

Caitlin had to follow him. With more inspiration that she was reluctant to admit came from her Disney knowledge, she let her powers seep through her feet instead of her hands and tentatively stepped on the water.

Just like she predicted, it turned into solid ice. Thick enough to support her weight. The freezing effect spread through the water to create a larger area for her to walk.

Setting her eyes on the horizon where King Shark would be, Caitlin ran forward, not even daring to look if her powers continued to work and froze the water under her feet.

Behind her, agents walked onto the ice as well to follow her.

The drop in temperatures in the water caused King Shark to slow down considerably. That with the fact that he wouldn't leave Central City without killing The Flash made it so Caitlin could catch up to where he was.

Caitlin rapidly began using her powers on the water. The faster the temperature dropped, the faster King Shark would be put out of commission and safe to transport back to his holding cell in Argus.

King Shark tried to swim away from the spreading ice but eventually, it caught up to him, encasing him in ice.

Killer Frost smirked to herself before turning to the ARGUS agents.

"You're welcome." She said before skating away, leaving Lyla, Diggle and the agents.

* * *

Once King Shark was secured and on his way back to Argus, everybody was thanking Caitlin for what she'd done.

"I want to thank you Caitlin. I got to see you freeze an entire ocean and you got Lyla her first win as director of Argus," Diggle thanked her.

"It was no problem. I would have done the same for anyone," Caitlin said.

"Call us when Barry gets back alright? This could have been easier if we stay in contact more often." Diggle suggested.

"Will do," Caitlin agreed.

"And I know Barry would kill me for saying this, but try to understand that he does care for you and wants you to be happy. In his own way,"

"Believe me, I know," Caitlin said, thinking about what was said before Barry left on his trip. Something about her being the reason for his plans. She still didn't understand what they were talking about, but she would let it go for now.

"I care about him as well. It's just so hard to show it sometimes. I know I'm partly at fault for that, but I do care about him and I value his opinion. He's a good person."

"Alright, that's all we can ask. I'll catch you some other time Caitlin." Diggle said.

"Say hi to Felicity for me and I'll make sure Barry calls you guys when he returns,"

* * *

It took weeks, but it was finally ready. The tachyon enhancement was ready for testing. Now it was time to see how Barry would react to it.

"You guys ready?" Barry asked through his comms. He was at the border of Central City and waiting for the team to run through their standard checking.

"Bring it. Let's see how much of an improvement we're working here." Cisco commented.

Taking a deep breath, Barry activated the tachyon enhancer and placed it over his symbol. Immediately, he felt a rush of energy through his body. He felt like he could do anything. "Oh yeah. I feel that."

"That is the tachyon enhancer boosting your body like a quick charge battery. How do you feel?" Caitlin asked.

"Different," was the only word Barry could use to describe what he was feeling. There was no way to put into words what this device was doing to him.

"Whenever you're ready. We are good to go," Cisco said.

Taking a runner's stance, Barry readied himself for his newest test to see how much faster he could go. Letting the energy flow in his body, he let the lightning emit from his body and he charged through the field back to Central City.

Already he could feel the difference. Everything was a blur. Just to have some fun, he took the longest path from where he was to return to STAR Labs. He even circled around the area sometimes just because he could and he couldn't even feel a strain on his body. If he just pushed a little more, he could move even faster.

Letting his instincts take over, Barry pushed himself beyond his limits and could just feel the energy around him.

"Guys! I can go faster!" Barry yelled out with a smirk on his face, just waiting for their go-ahead.

Cisco smiled in anticipation. "Do it."

Barry barely heard him over the rush of wind and the slowness of the world around him, but Barry continued increasing his speed. Every step pushed him faster and he only had a vague sense of where he was going anymore. And the next second he was on a completely different street.

He saw a vague figure falling from a skyscraper. He ran up the building and caught the figure before running her back to the ground. While he was catching the figure, he saw that she was a girl with blonde hair and glasses. She kinda reminded him of Patty.

Stopping in his tracks, he saw they were no longer in the city but instead in a dessert. He gently put down the girl before realizing her shirt was on fire.

"Oh my god, you're on fire." Barry reacted and tried to put out the flames before realizing where they were. "I- Nope!"

The woman didn't seem perturbed as she calmly patted out the flames on her sweater. If anything, she just seemed like she had no idea where she was. Which actually made much sense.

"You don't seem bothered by the fact that you were on fire."

"I didn't need you to save me." The girl said, looking around to figure out where they are.

Barry just scoffed at her statement. "You fell out of a building and if I hadn't caught you, you would've gone splat, so…"

"I need to get back to the city," The girl said, taking off into the air, leaving her charred clothes behind.

"I-what the? That's a new one and here I thought I was the impossible." Barry said, catching her clothes from the air before running after the flying girl.

The woman in the sky was starting to descend when she noticed the streak of lightning on the ground following her. She was now fitted in a blue and red outfit with an emblem in the shape of an S on her chest.

"How did you do that?!" The girl asked, shocked at Barry's powers.

"I'm The Flash." He proudly said, puffing out his chest.

"You're who now?" The blonde woman raised an eyebrow in doubt at him, clearly having no idea what he was saying.

"The Flash? Have you never heard of me?"

The girl simply shook her head as Barry grew anxious.

"What about the Green Arrow? Black Canary? Killer Frost? A.T.O.M.? Zoom?"

"Sorry," The girl shrugged her shoulders apologetically.

"Oh, not as sorry as I am." Barry said before taking off his cowl. "Hi, my name is Barry Allen. I'm the fastest man alive and I also think I'm on the wrong Earth, I'm gonna need your help."

"Well Barry Allen, fastest man alive, you're going to need to provide a more solid explanation than that." The woman said. "I'm Kara Danvers. Also known as Supergirl."

"Can we go somewhere more discreet? What I'm about to tell you needs to stay secret." Kara nodded her head before motioning Barry to follow her.

* * *

The two of them arrived at a building where Kara explained that it was her day job. They went into a secret room that appeared to be under renovations so it was mostly unused.

"You have your secret base in the same building that you work for? That's a new one." Barry offhandedly commented before sitting on a chair in front of a computer.

"So explain this to me? You come from a different dimension? An entirely different universe with different people? How many Earths are there? I mean _we're…_ Earth?" Kara asked.

Barry was about to answer her when two men burst into the room, asking Kara a lot of questions, not noticing his presence.

"Um...Kara? Why is there a stranger in the Superbase? Also that's me trying to give this little dull room a name." One of the men asked.

"This is your base of operations? Seems a little tacky if you don't mind me saying," Barry took another look around. This couldn't be their entire base of operations. Even Oliver's first base was better than this.

"Hey! I picked this room out, okay?!" The same guy exclaimed.

"Just saying. You're working with a superhero. I just thought a hero would have nicer digs."

"He knows your secret already? You know Kara, even only a handful of people know who Clark really is up until now." The other guy said, scowling at Kara.

"You guys, I don't know how to tell you this." Kara didn't know why she was nervous about saying this. "Well, I do know how to tell you I just…"

"Kara."

"Barry is from another universe," Kara just came out and said it, gesturing to the man behind her.

"Wait, so the multiverse theory is true?" The lanky, white guy said excitedly, already forgetting about Barry's comment earlier.

"Not so much theory anymore. More like fact." Barry confirmed.

"Yeah, I'm having a hard time believing it and I'm from another planet," Kara mentioned.

Barry stopped in his tracks and looked at her with his mouth wide agape. "You're an alien?"

Kara nodded, a barely contained smile overtaking her features as she reveled in the attention. His expression was funny, so sue her.

"So, is aliens a regular thing here?" Barry asked, still shocked.

"Bro, we get alien attacks like once every week. This is a normal day for us."

"Attacks on Tuesdays?" Barry asked, seeming like he knew what they were talking about.

"No, Mondays." The shorter man corrected him

"Criminals have schedules on your Earth too?" Kara asked.

"Yeah, it's weird right? And I know the problem sometimes takes a few days, but really it just feels like an hour." Barry said.

"Does someone give you a pep talk every week?" Kara asked once again.

"If I'm not the one giving it," Barry said.

"That is so cool! It's like we're on a CW superhero drama show."

"So our life is 'The Truman Show'?" Barry joked.

"What is 'The Truman Show'? We only have 'The Wiseguys'." Winn asked, joining in on the conversation.

"It's this movie we have in my universe about a guy who doesn't know is on a TV show." Barry briefly explained.

"Basically the same plot then. I'm Winn. That's James," Winn introduced himself as well as James.

"So you're from a different universe? I find that slightly hard to believe," James said, eyeing Barry suspiciously.

"Okay, I'll just explain it. My friend did this once for me." Barry said, going to the whiteboard with a marker in his hand, drawing several circles. "So imagine that this circle is us. But there are other worlds existing in the same place vibrating at different frequencies so they can't see each other. One where the Nazis won WWII. One where Kennedy was never assassinated."

"One where we're all evil." Winn suggested excitedly.

"Been there, it sucks. So I was able to create a breach and found myself here on your Earth."

"But that would mean that you would need to be able to at least break the sound barrier a couple of times to create a stable breach."

"Well I have a friend back home who literally breaks the time and space barrier by waving his hands, but yeah. That's how I did it." Barry nodded his head in agreement.

"I still don't understand what's going on." James crossed his arms, still scowling at Barry. "How could you travel that fast?"

Barry smirked before disappearing in a gust of wind. Not a second after, they found themselves holding a cone of ice cream with Barry in front of them.

"YES!" Kara exclaimed happily, licking the ice cream.

"There was a particle accelerator accident back on my Earth, which unleashed dark matter and other theoretical elements that affected all of Central City, including me. I was at my crime lab when a bolt of lightning struck me and next thing I know I woke up from my nine months coma with superspeed." Barry tried to briefly explain what happened to him.

Kara was just happily licking her ice cream and taking in Barry's explanation. Her sweet tooth was satisfied and her face showed it as she gave him a big smile.

"That's cool, I guess." James awkwardly replied but neither Kara or Barry paid attention to his reply but Winn did, he was silently laughing to himself.

"So, until I'm fast enough to open breaches on command, I'm stuck here with you guys."

"Well don't worry. Don't worry at all because we are going to help you," Kara grabbed his shoulder, but Barry flinched at her strength, which caused her to let go.

"Sorry." She sheepishly apologized.

"It's okay, didn't really hurt. But first things first, food. I kinda need to consume ten thousand calories a day." Barry said, rubbing the back of his neck while he did.

"Yep, you definitely met the right girl." Winn pointed at Kara before resuming to eat his ice cream.

"You like donuts?" Kara flashed him a smile, teasing him with her eyes with the promise of the sugary sweets.

"Who doesn't like donuts?" He said, already dreaming to eat one.

"I know a place. Want to go?" Kara offered as she finished off her cone.

"Let's go. I'll see you guys later." Barry said, grabbing his jacket before walking out with Kara with large smiles on their faces.

"I like donuts too." James said to no one in particular.

Winn lightly laughed as he turned his face away from James. But James managed to hear him. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, I just think it's interesting that Kara's hanging out with her cool new world travelling superhero friend. I never knew your facial muscles could make that face."

"What face? There's no face." James denied, turning his head away.

"Jealousy, thy name is Olsen," Winn said dramatically.

* * *

**Welcome to Earth-38. Home of the extraterrestrial. I know there was a comment about whether I was going to do World's Finest, and obviously I am. To be honest, this was one of the more fun chapters I've written in awhile. I hope you all like it. I've made a little crack in the fourth wall that I thought was funny.**

**Tell me what you thought, something I should be working on. Ask me any questions and I will try to answer them as soon as possible. Alright, I'll see you all next week.**


	25. Be the Hero

**It's a beautiful day where I am right now. It makes me sad to be stuck in all day. Welcome to the next chapter. We continue our adventures on Earth-38. Our first encounter with Livewire and Silver Banshee. A little plotting from our superheroes. And some advice from Barry to Kara. My co-authors, Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen, as always have been big help with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash.**

* * *

"Let me just get my bag." Kara said, walking towards her desk.

"Keira!" another woman called from behind the giant glass doors.

"Who is that?" Barry asked, confused as to who that woman was and who she was calling for.

"That woman is my boss, Cat Grant, calling for me," Kara admitted.

"She calls you Keira?" Barry asked, still confused. Now on why his friend's boss referred to her by a different name.

"It's complicated," Kara whispered. "Ms. Grant. I was just about to go on my lunch break.

"You fell out of a window. Are you all right?" Cat asked, showing a little concern for her assistant.

"What?" Kara asked. It felt so long ago that Kara almost completely forgot about the incident. "Oh. Yeah, don't worry. I'm fine."

"Good. In that case you're going to stay. You're right in the middle of big news." Ms. Grant said. She turned her laptop around to show a picture of a streak of lightning on the side of her building. "A brand new superhero. Direct competition for Supergirl. Thoughts?"

"I mean, it doesn't have to be competition. They could be friends?" Kara suggested since the one in the lightning who saved her was right behind her listening to the whole thing.

"Would you prefer a sidekick?" Ms. Grant thought that was what Kara was talking about.

"Given a little time, I think he will prove to be an equal." Barry said a little defensively.

Everybody turned their heads to face him. There wasn't a person alive who would dare argue against Cat Grant without just cause.

Sensing the thick tension now in the room, Barry sheepishly said, "Talking was a mistake. I see that now."

"I don't recognize you. Meaning I don't pay you. Who are you and what are you doing in my building?" Cat demanded to know.

"I'm an old friend of Kara's," Barry said slowly, trying to think of a cover story. "My name is Barry Allen."

"And how exactly do you know Keira?" Ms. Grant asked, still suspicious. Her reporter brain is still working through the story. Trying to find any flaws to exploit.

"We went to the same high school!" Kara blurted out. "We were good friends,"

"Yes, we had a lot of fun back in the good old days," Barry decided to go along with the story. It was too late already to go back.

"But then Barry had to move to try to get away from me," Kara smiled in a teasing manner as she lightly poked Barry in the side.

"That is so not what happened," Barry lightly laughed as he conversed with Kara, but kept his eyes on Cat Grant. "So I was in National City and decided to drop in. We were just about to get lunch,"

"Hmmm. Boys leave. Girl stay," Ms. Grant said, shooing the males out of the room to talk with Kara privately.

Once they were alone with the door closed to ensure they would not be heard, Cat leaned forward so Kara could properly hear her. "It's clear that James is not happy about your ex-boyfriend coming to town."

"Barry's…" Kara trailed off. "Really? You think so?"

"Lighthouse," Cat reminded her of their earlier conversation. "Shine your light and let him come to you,"

Feeling encouraged that she could use Barry to her full advantage whilst he was here. She kinda felt bad that now their lunch break was turned into a way to get James jealous, but it wasn't like Barry had to know. There was also the fact that she was manipulating him to her advantage, but she was helping him return to another universe, so she felt she could do this without a lot of guilt.

Kara rushed out of the room to grab Barry and drag them to lunch. Deciding to be a little sneaky, Kara gave Barry a quick kiss on the cheek. They left before anyone could comment on what she was doing.

* * *

The two of them stopped at Noonan's to get the donuts Kara had promised them. They shocked everyone when they ordered dozens of boxes filled with a variety of donuts. They added a few other things as well, such as the sticky buns Kara highly recommended and some drinks.

Kara was on her third box whilst Barry was polishing off his fifth when Barry decided to strike up a conversation. "Is there a reason that you kissed me in front of your friends?"

"Wow. So you're just going to come out and say it." Kara was hoping to avoid this conversation entirely, but it looks like there was no hiding anymore.

"Well it was pretty shocking. Girls don't typically come up to me and kiss me, even if it is just on the cheek."

"Oh come on. You're a superhero. You're decent looking. You're telling me you don't even have a girlfriend?" Kara asked.

"I did. We recently broke up. She moved away. We decided that the long distance thing wasn't going to work. It was mutual." Barry briefly said.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." Kara had a sorrowful look on her face.

"Don't be. You couldn't have known. And stop trying to change the subject. I work for the police, I know when someone's trying to avoid answering a question."

"It's silly. I shouldn't have done that. I was given some advice and from that, I kissed you." Kara shook her head.

"Oh? You wanna know what I think?" Barry asked. He continued before Kara got the chance to answer. "I think you kissed me to make a statement. Probably to make someone jealous. One of your friends I'm guessing. But you weren't like this when you were first introducing me to your friends. It wasn't until after that meeting with your boss that you decided to get a little flirty. Your boss is the one who advised you to hit on me a little. She knows you have a crush on someone and saw the opportunity I presented when I came here. You're using me," he accused her.

Kara looked down into her lap in shame. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

Barry kept a glare on his face before bursting out in laughter. "Are you kidding? I think it's hilarious, genius, and a little manipulating. My favourite combination."

"You're okay with this?" Kara asked, a little confused.

"I'll only be staying until I manage to find my way back home. Until then, I don't see why I can't help you with your problem. I had a little problem with asking out that girlfriend I told you about. A little help from friends goes a long way." Barry assured her.

"Great. Thank you so much." Kara expressed her gratitude. She clapped her hands together and offered her best smile.

"So before we start, let me guess who this guy is. We've established it's one of those two guys you're friends with. With Winn, you're easy-going. I can tell you trust him a great amount. You enjoy his company and value his opinion. However you don't see him as anything other than a friend. James on the other hand, you can barely look in the eye. You're nervous and fidgety whenever you think his eyes are on you. You tend to linger on him whenever you think he isn't looking. You're short of breath whenever he's around and your pupils dilated the moment he stepped through the door. It's him, isn't it?" Barry deduced.

Kara stared at him in shock. "You are good. How did you notice all that?"

"CSI brain. We're trained to notice everything. I'm told that if I wanted to, I would have made a very good detective. I think someone called me Sherlock Holmes once. Not sure if they meant it as a compliment but… " Barry explained.

"I believe you. And yes, James is the person I have a crush on." Kara confirmed. "I'm just not sure if he feels the same way I do,"

"Are you kidding? Kara, you are a very pretty woman. Any guy would be lucky to have you as a girlfriend. Trust me, James is very interested. I could tell by the look in his eyes." Barry assured her.

"Thanks. But let's talk about you now. Any other girls that have caught your eye?" Kara asked her new friend.

"Patty was my most serious relationship in a while. Other than that, everyone says I'm in love with my friend Caitlin."

"Oh? Tell me about her,"

"We've known each other for a few years. She helps me with superhero business. She has powers herself actually." Barry lightly told her about the ice meta.

"She sounds nice. So why does everyone think you're in love with her?" Kara asked.

"We don't particularly get along. Ever since we've met it's been arguments all the time. Frankly, it's tiring, but it's just something we can't help ourselves with. Whenever something happens, we just get angry with each other." Barry explained.

"So why are you still friends with her?" Kara asked, confused as to why he would keep hanging out with her if they didn't get along.

"Because we _are_ friends. Through all the arguments, the fights, I know that we're friends, and we would do anything if the other needed it," Barry said. "I care about her. And she cares about me. We just don't show it that often. If it came down to it, I would save her every time because if something ever did happen to her, I would never forgive myself,"

Kara stared at him for a moment, taking in everything he said. She could only come to one conclusion. "You are so totally in love with her."

"I don't love her!" Barry denied.

"Relax Barry. We're on an entire different Earth. Nothing you say will leave this place. You can admit you have feelings for her." Kara tried to persuade him.

"I've said it once, I've said it a million times. Caitlin and I don't have romantic feelings for each other. We don't like each other. We're friends in spite of that,"

"Okay," Kara leaned back in her chair, talking in a tone that indicated she didn't believe a word he said.

"I mean it," Barry insisted.

"Of course you do." Kara continued talking in that tone.

"I don't have feelings for her."

"I believe you." Kara exaggeratedly nodded her head. "Can we talk about my situation now?"

"Yes. So I was thinking, we should show up to CatCo. We vaguely flirt with each other. Try to make James jealous enough to say something to you. All the while try to find me a way to get back to my Earth," Barry said.

"That sounds like a decent enough plan. I wouldn't want to steal you from your Caitlin," Kara teased him.

"Shut up!"

* * *

"So thanks for treating me to lunch. It was great catching up with you," Barry said as they entered CatCo.

"You're the one who picked up the bill. I just picked the venue," Kara countered.

"Well the guy always pays. I don't care if we're not dating. I'll always pay for lunch with a pretty lady like yourself," Barry grinned at her, squeezing her hand in his. "I'm gonna go. See you around?"

Kara nodded her head and gave him another kiss on his cheek. This time, both were aware of what was going on.

Barry headed towards the secret room she was using for her hero business while Kara sat down at her desk to prepare for work.

Cat watched behind the glass doors with a smirk. It looked like Kara had taken her advice to heart. At least now Kara's mind wouldn't be preoccupied with mindless romance. And in a way, she was quite proud of her assistant. She was finally becoming the woman Cat always knew she could be.

James was standing in the corner, having witnessed everything. It bothered him that Kara was getting along so well with this guy. He just showed up out of nowhere, and Kara just expected the rest of them to trust him.

And Kara actually seemed to like him, and judging by their interactions, he seemed to have taken a liking to Kara as well. Not that James could blame him. Kara was an endless beam of sunshine. Everyone couldn't help but like her in the end.

Still, James couldn't wait until Barry would head back to his own world. And he wasn't jealous. No matter what Winn said. Winn had no idea what he was experiencing. He just didn't like that Barry was spending so much time with Kara when he should be worrying about getting back home.

* * *

Kara had gotten a call and had to step out for a moment, leaving Winn and Barry to themselves.

"So what did you mean when you expected more from our base?" Winn asked, the comment about their secret room still bothering him.

"I just mean, this is a single room. You could have people walk in on you all the time. There isn't a lot of privacy here. How has nobody noticed you three walking in here all the time?" Barry stated.

"We just started this superhero business a couple months ago. We'll be upgrading soon." Winn said. "Why? Where did you work out in your first year?"

"A high tech laboratory that I now own, and makes millions of dollars on a monthly basis." Barry casually said.

"You are so cool. You know that? A millionaire superhero? Okay Anthony Stark." Winn laughed.

"Tony Stark?" Barry asked.

"That's what you guys call him?"

Kara chose that moment to walk in with a troubled look on her face. "I just got off the phone with the DEO. Leslie's escaped."

"Well that is not good," Winn stated bluntly.

"Hey Barry, I know that this is asking a lot, but could you help me out with this?" Kara asked him.

"Oh Kara, I don't know. I mean trying to find my way back home is pretty time consuming. I have my own villains to get back to," Barry said.

"Please. I could really use your help. Last time I dealt with her, it wasn't easy. I don't expect this time to be any different," Kara begged him.

Barry contemplated for a second. On the one hand, he needed to get back home. Who knew how long he'd be gone. But Kara was his friend now. What kind of friend would he be if he didn't lend her some help. "Alright," he conceded.

"Partners?" she held out her hand for him to shake.

"Partners," Barry agreed, taking her hand in his.

"Great. I'll take you to the DEO so we can start looking for her," Kara said.

"What's the DEO?" Barry asked, already taking out his red suit.

* * *

Out in the desert, a flying figure was soaring overhead with a bolt of lightning following underneath before disappearing into the ground.

While Kara had landed in the middle and placed Winn beside her, the lightning travelled through the entire facility, searching through every nook and cranny of the cave before skidding to a halt beside Supergirl.

"This is so much better. Why isn't this your base of operations?" Barry questioned the two of them.

"We don't own this place. This is more of our prison for the aliens we capture." Winn responded.

"Still, this place is pretty sick. You should think about working out of here instead." Barry took another look around, taking in everything at a normal pace. "Is that a spaceship?"

"That's actually my spaceship," Kara excitedly told her new friend. It wasn't often that she got to brag with a fellow superhero with the other being her cousin.

"I love this Earth," Barry sighed in happiness. "Winn, take a picture of me with this bad boy," Barry tossed his phone to Winn.

"You got it dude," Winn held up the phone to take a quick picture. Several agents showed up behind him, just as Winn took the picture. "Probably not a good idea man," he gave Barry his phone back.

"Who is this person? Alien?" a woman walked up to them with a stern look on her face.

"Metahuman," Kara corrected. "Don't worry, he's not a threat. He's here to help with the escapee."

"Well, I hope you're bringing more to the table than fast reflexes." Lucy Lane commented.

"As it turns out, catching criminals is both my night and day job. I'm a CSI. By the way, do you guys have a crime lab?" Barry directed the question to Kara.

"Yeah, you can use my sister's lab," Kara led him to her Alex's work station.

"You have a sister? Blood or…" Barry asked to rid himself of any confusion.

"Foster sister," Kara said, informing him that Alex was human, not an alien like herself.

"Where is she at?" Barry asked, noticing the lack of the sister.

"I wish I knew," Kara said with a sigh that her sister was still on the run from the law.

Barry was shown the lab he would be working out of, as well as several files pertaining to the escaped convict. Leslie Willis. Livewire. Struck by lightning one night and woke up with electrical powers the next day. She then went on a revenge campaign against her boss, Cat Grant, who was the one who caused Leslie to wind up in the thunderstorm that resulted in her accident.

Luckily Supergirl managed to capture her before that happened, by dousing her with a fire hydrant, causing her powers to short circuit and safe for transport into a holding cell.

Looking at her file, it reminded Barry of another meta he encountered that possessed the power of electricity as well. Just slightly different. While Blackout was able to siphon off electricity, Livewire was electricity. Her entire being was an electric charge. She could release massive amounts of power from herself, absorb outside energy into herself, and become a living lightning bolt. Thus, she was able to travel anywhere that a socket and wire existed.

Using that information, Barry was able to develop an algorithm that would be able to track any increased surges of electricity so they would be able to pinpoint her location. Or at least the trail she left behind when she was travelling through circuits.

James had just arrived, so they decided to announce the exciting news. "We found a way to track down Leslie," Winn told him.

"That's great," James commented.

"Actually, Barry did," Kara corrected him.

"Of course he did," James muttered angrily under his breath. Nobody really commented on that as they all brought their attention to the screen.

"I've encountered someone similar to Leslie on my Earth. Using the information provided, I was able to construct an algorithm that tracks her whenever she travels through a circuit or something like that." Barry said, tapping on a few keys to show where Leslie had been. "Last location is some abandoned warehouse. I see your criminals like abandoned buildings as well."

"Okay, this is good. We'll go in and take her before she can do anything. You with me?" Kara asked.

"Yeah, what's the plan?" Barry sprung out of his chair, ready to head into action.

"We go in, take her into custody. 80% chance of punching." Kara relayed her strategy.

Barry just looked at her in confusion. "No, I get that, but what's the plan? Maybe we can overload her or something?"

"Yeah! What about that device you used the first time to trap her in?" Winn suggested.

"No, that thing didn't work. Besides we don't have any time. The more time we stay here talking about this, the more time Livewire has to hurt somebody," Kara insisted they leave immediately.

"Kara, listen to me. I've been known to rush into things, but I've learned that it is always good to have a plan in place. Livewire isn't causing a panic, so we have time, we have a location. We just need a plan. Take a deep breath, and let's think this through," Barry calmly said to her.

Kara took a deep breath to calm herself. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you run in there without a clue as to what you were doing,"

"Happens to the best of us." Barry shrugged his shoulders. "So what's the plan?"

"Okay, I'm thinking that Leslie doesn't know about you yet. You'll be a surprise. I keep her attention on me, you sneak up behind her and take her out," Kara suggested.

"Okay, we have a plan. Simple enough that if anything happens, we'll be flexible enough to improvise," Barry said.

"Almost everything in superhero business is improvisation," Kara countered.

"I'm just saying, having a plan is always a good idea. Facing the unexpected is just in the job description,"

* * *

The two of them arrived at the warehouse with Barry hidden in the shadows to be kept out of sight. He was meant to be their trump card in case Livewire proved to be too much for Kara to safely handle by herself.

"Leslie!" Kara shouted. Hopefully Leslie was still here and hadn't left on foot. They wouldn't be able to track her until she entered the electrical system then.

"Girl in blue. I should have known you'd find me sooner or later," A voice drawled out as a woman with bleached hair stepped forward. "I've been waiting to see you again."

The fight was short and embarrassing at the same time. Kara shot an initial beam of laser vision from her eyes, completely forgetting that Leslie would be able to absorb the energy of the laser vision into herself. "Thanks for the charge," Leslie said, launching twin blasts of lightning from her hands directly at Kara.

When Kara stumbled, Leslie stepped forward to try to push her advantage. Seeing that, Barry rushed out to knock her back. Slamming his shoulder into her, Leslie was left falling to the ground.

Barry offered his hand for Kara to stand back up, which she took and they strided forward to the fallen electric meta. Neither of them noticed the smirk on Leslie's face the whole time. Which is why it was such a surprise when they were both blasted with a high pitched scream, leaving them crumpled on the floor, clutching their heads to try to block the sound from reaching their ears.

When Kara took her fingers out of her ears, she saw they were covered in blood. Her increased hearing wasn't doing her much favours in this encounter as the scream was amplified for her more than Barry.

"I see you brought a date," Leslie gestured to the fallen form of Barry who was starting to stand back up. "So did I. Meet Silver Banshee,"

Even with the face paint and highlights in her hair, Kara could still recognize her co-worker, especially since Kara just saw her this morning when her scream pushed Kara through a window. Siobhan Smythe.

"Siobhan?" Kara questioned.

"That was who I used to be. I've been reborn as the Silver Banshee. And once I kill you, I'm gonna finish the job and kill that preppy Kara Danvers," Siobhan angrily muttered before releasing another scream.

Suddenly, Siobhan was pushed back by a gust of wind. Kara turned to see Barry behind her on a higher vantage point. He was rotating both his arms to create mini tornadoes that were keeping both Siobhan and Leslie off her.

"We need to retreat! We're not going to win this one," Barry shouted.

Kara hated to admit it, but he had a point. They were taken by surprise by the team up. They were prepared to take on Leslie's electrical attacks. They had no idea how to get close when Siobhan was added into the mix.

Kara took off into the air with Barry following behind her.

* * *

"Hey, are you okay?" Barry asked as he walked up behind Kara who was overlooking the city from the balcony at CatCo.

"Aside from my ears ringing like church bells. I'll be fine." Kara said dejectedly. "I'm sorry I got you involved in that, but I didn't think Leslie and Siobhan would team up like that,"

"It's like I said before. We need to be prepared for every eventuality. They had the jump on us with a new player we weren't aware of. Don't blame yourself," Barry comforted her.

"But you had the jump on them as well. They didn't know you were there. Even then, the fight should have been fairly even at two-to-two. If I hadn't gotten sloppy at the beginning and used my laser beams when they only strengthened Leslie, we might have won." Kara shook her head.

"Stop blaming yourself. Nobody is at fault. There were mistakes, but in the end, nobody was seriously hurt. That's a win in every superhero book." Barry said.

"I'm just so tired of this. Nothing ever seems to be going my way lately. It seems like the entire world is against me. I can't even do a simple snatch and grab," Kara said.

"Tell me what happened," Barry said.

"A couple weeks ago, I was affected by this substance that caused me to go on a rampage. I almost hurt a lot of people and now everything is different. People don't trust me anymore." Kara explained. "My symbol used to bring hope to people, now everyone is afraid of me.

Barry snorted, because her situation sounded so familiar to his own in a way. "You're laughing? I can't believe you!"

"I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you. It's just your situation I find funny, because I've been where you are before. Having people look at you with mistrust and anger." Barry tried to explain himself. "Look, this is going to sound ironic coming from me, but you need to slow down. Just keep doing what you're doing. The people will forgive you, I promise,"

"How do you know that?" Kara asked.

"Because the same thing happened to me. There was this meta that had the power to induce rage in anyone who looked into his eyes. I attacked a lot of my close friends, even assaulted a police officer. Things were tense for a while after that. There was even a task force created that was designed specifically to try to take me down."

"So what changed things?" Kara asked, eager for the advice of her fellow who had experienced something similar to herself, but had obviously already overcome that hurdle.

"Time," Barry answered.

Kara sagged at that answer. She was hoping for something slightly more helpful than just waiting for things to change.

"When you're used to solving your problems with powers like super strength, or in my case super speed, it's hard to admit that there are things that are out of our control. But it's humbling, don't you think?" Barry said.

Kara nodded her head. She didn't like to admit it, but this was just something that she couldn't force to happen. It would take time for the people to forgive her for her actions.

"Listen Kara, you are the superhero. It isn't your job to have people like you. Your job is to protect people. Who cares if they don't like you? You're still going to save them. That's what makes you a hero." Barry continued to say.

Kara frowned. She would have preferred that people would still appreciate all the good she'd done, but she could see Barry's point. There would always be people who would have something to say about her. General Lane coming to mind. But that wouldn't stop her from saving people. That's not the kind of person she is.

"That makes sense. I'm sorry that you're trapped from your world, but I'm really glad you're here right now," Kara thanked him for his advice on being a superhero.

"It's no problem. I'm glad I'm here too." Barry smiled at her.

Kara rested her head on his shoulder as they both took in the scene before them. The calmness wouldn't last long as Leslie and Siobhan would return for her blood.

* * *

**So Kara has jumped onto the Snowbarry train. She can see a crush from a mile away. Which is probably literal. So I romanticized the story between Barry and Kara just a little because in case you didn't know, I love the Superflash ship as well. But nothing is going to come of it. Don't worry. This is just a little fun. I just always thought it was a waste to not show a little love between the two characters. Even if nothing would ever come of it in canon.**

**I took inspiration for Barry's advice to Kara from the original script and a line I remembered from Supernatural. It was 'You hate me? That's fine. It's not my job to be liked. It's my job to make sure I raise you right.' Or something like that.**

**Next week, we'll be wrapping up this crossover. I never realized how long I'd actually made this. Make sure to leave a review and tell me what you thought. I'll be seeing you all next week.**


	26. Trade Off

**The last part of World's Finest isn't going to be that long. I've also added an alternate way that Barry could have defeated Leslie. Do you think it could have worked? Tell me what you think. As always, my co-authors BrightBurn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen deserve some credit in the making of this story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash or anything else Arrowverse related.**

* * *

Kara and Barry returned to the DEO to better prepare for their next encounter with the villainess duo. Both of them would be able to easily keep up with Livewire, but Silver Banshee would complicate things. Luckily Barry had a lot of experience with people using sound as a weapon.

Barry was building a pair of ear plugs that would be able to neutralize any sounds reaching 140 decibels or over. The average amount before it becomes harmful to humans. Hopefully they would hold up.

"So on my Earth, we had this villain named the Pied Piper," Barry explained.

"That's a good name," Kara complimented him.

"Thanks. So he had these gauntlets that allowed him to emit high frequency blasts. He used them to level a building. And my friend Laurel is a hero as well. We call her the Black Canary. She has a choker that amplifies the volume of her voice, giving her similar abilities to Siobhan."

"Sure these things can handle her?" Kara asked.

"Pretty sure. Don't quote me on that,"

It wasn't long before Leslie and Siobhan appeared once again, challenging Kara and Barry in the middle of a public area. Cat Grant had been taken hostage in order to ensure they would make an appearance.

With the ear plugs, Siobhan's power was easily negated, making her a simple hindrance. That still left the problem of getting to her as her screech managed to push even Kara back, but Kara would manage to find her way in.

Barry was left to take on Leslie. With their advantage taken away with her partner's power being almost useless, she tried to flee. But Barry was quick to follow her, trailing after the sparks of electricity and forcing her out. Her lightning blasts were dodged with ease, but Barry couldn't get to her without risk of injuring himself.

Barry decided to try something. He circled around her, creating a small storm with Livewire in the centre. His own lightning trail fully circled around her. Leslie tried to blast Barry away, but her own powers simply assimilated with Barry's.

Barry's powers acted as the electrons circling Livewire. With her powers, Leslie was a wire with electrons flowing within her, but also alongside her, in constant rotation. Barry was following the rotation with his own lightning, disrupting Leslie's control.

Leslie wasn't sure of herself what was going on, but she knew Barry had done something that prevented her from attacking him. And with the tornado, it was sucking out the oxygen she needed to breathe. She would black out if something didn't happen soon.

In a desperate attempt to get the hero's attention off of her, Leslie shot upward, hoping it would remain unaffected. To her luck, her aim kept true, and was on a direct course to a nearby helicopter.

Kara saw this and sent a punch at Siobhan with all her strength, but left to try to intercept the lightning before it harmed anyone else. She blocked the blast with her body, but she collapsed afterward.

Livewire promptly collapsed from lack of oxygen before she could do any more damage.

Kara slowly pushed herself off the ground, her body still wracking with spasms from the lightning.

A crowd gathered around her and slowly applauded her for her brave actions and a man came up to her and offered her his hand.

"Thank you Supergirl," the man said. "You were willing to sacrifice yourself for us. I can't express how grateful we are that you are willing to save us, no matter what,"

Barry arrived at where she was to make sure she was okay. Only to see everyone smiling and cheering for their heroine as she took the man's hand and pulled herself up. Siobhan had already long since been rendered unconscious and carted off to be put in a cage where she wouldn't be able to escape along with Leslie.

* * *

Barry and Kara were back in the field where they first met. Barry had finally come up with an idea that could potentially bring him back to his own Earth.

"So how do we do this?" Kara asked.

"I got the idea watching Livewire and Silver Banshee team up." Barry said. "We combine our powers. We both run at the same speed, and you use your strength to chuck me forward, and our combined speeds may let me break the dimensional barrier and return home,"

"So like a race?" Kara asked dubiously.

"I guess so," Barry laughed. "Think you can keep up Girl of Steel?"

"Just you watch Scarlet Speedster," Kara laughed alongside him. "I'm really gonna miss you Barry Allen,"

"So am I Kara Danvers. Or Kara Zor-El. Which is your alien name. Cause you're an alien, which I think is pretty cool," Barry teased. "I think James Olsen thinks so too,"

"You're just saying that," Kara waved him off.

"I'm serious Kara. He really likes you. I've been watching the two of you all day, and I can safely say that he's totally into you,"

"Like how you're totally into Caitlin Snow?" Kara retorted.

"Kara…" Barry sighed.

"I'm serious Barry. You totally like this girl. Why can't you just say that?" Kara asked.

"It's not that I don't like her. If she were open to have a relationship with me then…" Barry trailed off.

"Would you?" Kara asked.

"I don't know. Because it's never going to happen," Barry replied.

"Don't give up hope Barry. She likes you too," Kara told him.

"Sometimes it's hard to believe." Barry responded. He shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts. "Are we ready to do this?"

"Yeah, just before you go," Kara said, leaning up unexpectedly to place a fleeting kiss on his lips. Pulling back she stared into his eyes. "I think we're better off as friends."

"I think that's for the best," Barry agreed.

The two of them lined up and as they counted down to one, they both sped off, nothing but blurs to the rest of the world. At the moment where Kara had reached her maximum speed, she grabbed a hold of Barry and threw him forward with all her might. Barry sailed through the air at incredible speeds before disappearing into a rift that opened up, effectively sending him to another Earth. Kara could only hope it was his own.

"Goodbye Barry," Kara whispered to herself. And she kinda hoped that Barry could hear her too. Staying still, staring at the spot where Barry had disappeared, she launched herself into the air, back home.

* * *

Barry exited the breach back onto the street where he had left and hurried back to STAR Labs as quick as possible.

"I'm back. How long have I been gone?" Barry asked the rest of the gang.

"Let's just say you demolished your old record," Cisco reported.

"What?" Barry asked, confused. Did they not notice how he'd been gone for practically a whole day?

"Yeah, you've gone 4 times faster than you've ever gone before." Caitlin added. "That's as fast as Zoom,"

"But how long was I gone?" Barry asked again.

"A couple seconds. Why?" Cisco asked.

"I've been gone for a whole day," Barry revealed. "Did you not notice?"

"I mean, there was a time where you completely disappeared from our sensors, but I just assumed you were going too fast for them to pick up," Cisco remembered.

"No, I've been gone. A whole Earth where none of us exist," Barry said. "I mean, there were aliens as superheroes. I made friends with one of them. You didn't notice?"

"Freaky. But you're here now, so what does it matter?" Cisco asked.

"It means I'm able to travel between Earths by myself. And if I can do it, that means so can…"

"Zoom," Harry said, realizing what this new ability meant for them. Nothing but trouble.

"So why hasn't Zoom come for us yet?" Caitlin asked. She refused to call that monster by his name.

"Maybe he hasn't realized yet, but he will, unless we stop him in time. We can't rely on the V9 taking him out in time. We need to prepare in case he comes looking for us," Barry said. "By the way, could you make this a little smaller? It kinda sucks," Barry took off the tachyon enhancer, handing it to Harry to improve.

"If it sucks, then yeah," Harry took it off his hands and went to minimize the size without losing any of its power.

"Okay, now that we've agreed we cannot sit idly by and wait for Zoom to come for us, we need to plan to take the fight to him," Barry said. "What have we got?"

"All the breaches are closed, so the only way we're getting to Earth-2 is if you can carry us there. And we'd need to test that so it's safe for you to do," Caitlin said.

"No, we have Cisco. He can open a breach for us. His power is to tap into the multidimensional energy. He could manipulate it to create another breach," Barry pointed out.

"Problem though," Cisco interrupted. "I don't know how to do that. The most I can do is create a breach leading to somewhere else on our world,"

"Well then figure it out!" Barry demanded.

"Hey, don't yell at him. He doesn't need to do this," Caitlin argued.

"We need to get to Zoom, and Cisco may be the only way back," Barry said.

"But Cisco doesn't want to get back. If you're so desperate to fight Zoom, you can do it yourself. You've just travelled to another world by yourself. Do it again," Caitlin glared at him. "We are not going to be part of your revenge plan,"

"Actually, he's not particularly torn up about that. He's doing this so-" Cisco tried to say.

"So the people of Earth-2 no longer need to suffer. Zoom is a tyrant, and he's not going to stop and who knows how long before he finds another unlucky speedster so he can cure himself," Barry cut Cisco off before he could reveal too much.

"Why do I even bother?" Cisco mumbled to himself.

"I don't care what your reasons are Fleet Feet. Zoom is dying, and if he somehow makes his way to Earth-1, then we will deal with him then. We are not going to actively look for a fight with the guy who broke your back!" Caitlin crossed her arms, her glare remaining fixed on Barry.

"Well I say we need to strike against him before he gets the chance. Zoom will figure out how to jump Earths himself, and I'm not going to wait around for him to learn Ms. Frosty. People are dying and I'm not going to let them if I can help it," Barry glared at her in return.

"Those people don't exist. They live on another Earth. In another dimension. A different timeline. They don't matter to us!" Caitlin argued.

"But they're still real people, who don't deserve being ruled by a man like Zoom,"

"Well that's not our problem. We didn't know these people existed a year ago, and they've been doing fine until now. They don't need you," Caitlin countered.

"It doesn't matter that they never asked for my help. I'm a hero. I save people even if they don't ask for it," Barry stated. "Maybe you're not a hero after all,"

"Choose your battles Barry. You can't take on every villain and hope for the best," Caitlin said. "One day, you'll meet someone that's out of your depth, and I won't be there to fix you up,"

"I am going to face Zoom, with or without your help," Barry glared, his thoughts remaining unswayed. "I don't need you to get to him. I'll figure it out myself,"

* * *

Barry had somehow convinced Cisco to help with creating a new breach back to Earth-2. He'd led him to an abandoned hospital that once housed a breach. The area had the most unstable amount of multidimensional energy that should make it easier to reopen the pre-existing breach.

"I'm just not sure I can do this," Cisco voiced his concerns.

"I know you can do this. I've seen what you can do, and with a little more experience, you could open a breach to any Earth in the multiverse." Barry encouraged him. "What's really bothering you?"

"Before Wells, Eobard, disappeared, he found out about my powers, and he told me they were great things. Then I saw what happened to my doppelgänger on Earth-2, and that just got me thinking. Right now I feel like Anakin Skywalker. And if I keep using these powers, I'm gonna become Darth Vader." Cisco explained.

"Dude, you are not going to become Vader," Barry said. "I'll always be there for you to make sure nothing is going to happen to you. Look, if you don't want to do this, I promise, I will drop it. But I'm not going to stop looking for a way to get back there,"

Cisco remained silent, glancing at Barry to see that he meant that he would continue looking for a way back to Zoom until it was too late. "Alright, I'll do it," he agreed.

Cisco placed his goggles back on his face and raised his hand to the area where the breach once was. Contemplating for a second, he closed his fist to be able to focus his powers a little better.

Immediately his hand began to glow a light blue. Waves of energy were unleashed as they began to split open the fabric of the universe and create another breach to Earth-2.

Slowly, the breach was reformed and opened the gateway between the two Earths once again. Once the process was finished, Zoom jumped out as if he was waiting for them to bring him back.

"Reverb's doppelgänger has increased his powers. You were unwise to open the breach again." Zoom growled.

"I couldn't let you terrorize any more people. I needed to get to you before you found your way back yourself," Barry stated.

"You've found your speed allows you to travel between worlds. It was about time. Pity you couldn't find your way back to me yourself," Zoom taunted him.

Barry filed away the information that Zoom was already aware that he could have come to Barry at any time, but only chose to return once there was a path provided for him. Perhaps this ability wasn't as easily controlled, meaning there was no way to know which Earth you would travel to. It was something to experiment later.

"Well it seems you were unable to find your way to me as well," Barry smirked at him. "Why else would you wait until I gave you the way back?"

Zoom growled in anger. He wouldn't be made fun of, nor be compared to such an inexperienced speedster.

Barry stepped forward before halting, only letting his lightning show for a brief second. Zoom reacted accordingly, activating his speed before letting it go when he realized Barry hadn't actually done anything.

Barry smirked. That was a mistake. By reacting to him, Zoom was letting Barry dictate how the battle would go. Zoom was just as nervous about how to go about their rematch.

"Catch me if you can," Barry called out, before rushing out of the hospital with Zoom right on his tail.

"Harry, come in. Is the trap set?" He quietly muttered to his comms.

"Just lead him right into the trap."

Barry was running through the streets with the target being STAR Labs, but he couldn't make it obvious to Zoom. There the trap would be set in motion. After much research, they had found Jay's doppelgänger to be a man named Hunter Zolomon. The problem was Hunter Zolomon was a person on Earth-2 as well. A well known person seeing as he was a convicted serial killer. After pulling up an image, they could not deny Hunter Zolomon of Earth-2 was Jay Garrick. He was lying to them from the start.

With this new knowledge, a plan had formed. Zoom wanted to be seen as above his past, but if there's anything that Barry knows, it's that your past will always catch up to you.

With Barry's new speeds, the two were equal and they arrived at STAR Labs barely seconds after they first started. "You've gotten faster," Zoom commented. "Good, that means there will be more for me to take,"

"That's never going to happen," Barry replied as he disappeared into STAR Labs with Zoom following behind him.

Leading him into their training centre, their trap activated. As Barry passed by one wall, a cardboard cutout appeared of a blonde woman with a kind smile on her face. Zoom stopped to gaze at the picture, shock on his face. He was clearly remembering something.

Barry took advantage of the distraction and struck Zoom clear across the face. He backed away before Zoom came to his senses and tried to fight back.

Zoom took another step forward and another cutout appeared. A stern looking man was subtly glaring forward. Zoom fell to his knees at the look, cowed by an unseen force.

Barry took a chance and fired a Boot at Zoom's leg. It effectively neutralized his powers and delivered a debilitating shock through Zoom's system. Zoom yelled in pain, stuck where he was.

Barry laughed without a hint of emotion and pulled Zoom's cowl off his face to reveal the familiar face of Jay, or as he was now known, Hunter Zolomon. Barry just grinned at the sight. He knew there was something not right about him from the moment Barry saw him. He should have trusted his instincts.

"How did you know who I was?" Zolomon asked, genuinely curious. He had been so careful to avoid revealing his actual name to anybody.

"A speed drug. Turns a speedster's lightning blue. Tests on your blood when you first came revealed to us your disease, although we didn't connect the dots until after," Barry said.

"And my family?" Hunter gestured to the cutouts of his parents.

"Tried to find something about you and ended up with your doppelgänger. Hunter Zolomon. Harry filled us in on the rest," Barry revealed.

"If you know about the speed drug, then you know why I'm doing this," Hunter said.

"You need me to live. But I'm going to offer you this once. We can find you a cure. One that doesn't require all this death," Barry offered, trying to be the bigger person. Hunter may deserve to die, but that didn't mean he should. And Caitlin would have killed him if Barry didn't at least try to help him.

"I'm dying Barry! There's only one thing that can get me what I need," Hunter shouted in rage.

"And you just don't care how many lives you destroy to get it? The people you hurt?!" Barry retorted.

"No! I don't!" Hunter denied. "That feeling was taken from me a long time ago,"

Hunter slowly raised off the ground, grunting in pain, but managing. "You know that was smart. Using my parents against me. Ugh family. Such a weakness,"

"Not for all of us," Barry shook his head. "Sometimes they push us to be stronger,"

"Come on, don't deny it," Hunter said. "Feelings, emotions. They just get in the way. The only ones with those end up six feet under,"

"What are you talking about?" Barry asked.

"You," Hunter stated. "You think I don't notice? All the little looks you two share. The inside jokes. The way you can't stop talking about her even when she's left the room,"

Barry immediately knew who he was talking about. "You can't actually think I'm interested in her,"

Hunter smirked. It was just too cute how Barry thought that. "Either way, I think it's time I get what I came for,"

Barry laughed and shook his head. "You're not getting out of there," he gestured to the Boot still latched on his leg. "When I offered you freedom the first time, it came with a condition. Time to collect. I'm throwing you back in the Pipeline with the key thrown away,"

"You can't lock up the darkness," Hunter whispered to himself.

Barry gave a concerned look as he eyed Hunter, who didn't look all too worried. "What did you say?"

Hunter looked back up with his eyes pitch black. "You can't lock up the darkness!" he snarled at him and vibrated his arm to cut off the Boot off his leg and sprint out of there.

Barry was shocked and didn't move before reality caught up. Barry tried to follow. To find out where Hunter had run off to, but it was too late. Zoom had escaped.

* * *

The West family returned home after a long day. Everyone was feeling dejected for failing to capture Zoom and releasing him to their city.

When the lights were turned on, it was clear someone had been here. Everything was destroyed. Joe remembered that Wally was supposed to be in the house and rushed to his son's room.

A cry came and everyone rushed to see what was going on. Wally's room was empty, but Joe was staring at a wall. On it was '_Your speed and the boy lives'._

The rest of the team was called up and they all came rushing to the house, either to try to find clues about Zoom's whereabouts, but it was likely he'd returned to Earth-2 since the breach was reopened, or they'd come to comfort Joe and Iris.

Joe stayed in Wally's room and Barry remained to try to offer him comfort. But he knew what he had to do.

"I need to save my son Barry, but I know you can't give up your speed to this maniac," Joe cried, his tears falling from his face.

"That's not your decision. This is my choice and I want to save Wally as much as you do," Barry told him.

Joe shook his head. "Barry you can't,"

"It's what I have to do," Barry stated.

* * *

They'd arranged a meeting. Zoom would return to STAR Labs with Wally in tow and they wouldn't cause any harm. As long as Wally was safely returned, Barry would surrender his powers to Zoom.

Zoom had arrived with Wally in his arms. Joe gestured for him to get behind him and run back home, his gun trained on the demon speedster. Once Wally was gone, Zoom took off his mask to smirk at them. "Kept up my end of the deal. Time to hold up yours,"

"How do you know we won't shoot you right here?" Joe snarled at him.

"Because unlike me, you people are men of your word. You won't go back on this," Hunter said, fully confident that they would go through with this.

Barry raised his hand to lower the gun in Joe's hand and nodded with him. "Harry's just going to set up the machine."

Harry walked up to him and said softly, "One day, I'm gonna wipe that smirk right off your face,"

As Harry was setting up the device he used to steal Barry's speed the last time, everyone reconvened on the other side of the treadmill. "So how did you do it? Kill yourself? Speed mirage?" Cisco asked.

"Speed mirage? No," Hunter laughed at him. "I'm not that fast. No, I knew I couldn't be on two Earths at the same time, so I went back in time and met another version of myself,"

"A time remnant," Cisco realized. "You traveled back in time a few seconds to meet yourself,"

"Wasn't easy to convince him to kill him, let me tell you. But once he saw the genius of my plan, well he was all for it," Hunter said.

"It's ready," Harry came in. He handed Barry a piece of tech. "Place this on yourself and start running. It'll drain your speed and transfer it to the computer,"

Barry reluctantly clipped it behind his symbol and got onto the treadmill. Starting off slow, he gradually built up speed until streaks of lightning started flying off him.

The computers were showing the levels of Speed Force energy in Barry's system slowly being depleted. "His speed. It's leaving him," Caitlin commented.

Sure enough, Barry began slowing down to a crawl before he collapsed from the feeling of having his energy drained.

Harry took out a vial with lightning inside it, the Speed Force energy that was once residing within Barry. Harry placed the vial in a syringe. Hunter greedily snatched it from Harry and injected himself with the pure Speed Force energy.

It was like the pure energy now flooding in Zolomon was washing away the sickness, making him as good as new. With his powers rejuvenated, Hunter sprinted and held Barry against the wall by his neck. "Thank you, Flash," Hunter taunted him.

Barry couldn't say anything with Zoom cutting off his oxygen. His face going red as he struggled against the speedster.

"Stop!" Caitlin shouted.

Everybody turned to face her. Caitlin had tears streaming down her face as she watched Zoom choke the life out of Barry. "Hunter, please," she pleaded with him. "Don't do this. I know some little part of you did care for me, so if there is even a little bit of the person I loved in there, let him go,"

Hunter glared at her. His grip tightened for a moment. Barry let out a strangled gasp as he clawed at Hunter's hand to release him. Finally, Hunter let Barry drop to the ground gasping for breath. Everyone rushed to see if there was something they could do to help him. All of them letting out a simultaneous breath of relief. None more so than Caitlin.

Zoom stared at Caitlin with a glare in his eyes. "For his life, yours,"

Caitlin barely had time to react before a flash of blue lightning appeared and whisked her away.

"No!" Barry shouted when he saw Caitlin was gone, trying to stand up from his exhaustion and try to see where Zoom could have taken her.

"Barry stop." Iris supported him to bring him to a bed. "Caitlin's gone. I'm so sorry,"

Barry shook his head. "No. No, I can't stay here. I need to go, I need to go after him,"

"And how exactly are you going to do that? In case it's slipped your mind, your speed is gone. Snow is gone, and it's all your fault," Harry glared at him.

"Harry, stop," Cisco tried to call him off.

"No, he's right. I let Zoom back to Earth-1. I risked all of our lives for nothing and lost my speed in the process. Zoom's gone and he's going to destroy everything and there's nothing stopping him now," Barry said dejectedly.

"We'll stop him Barry," Joe tried to comfort him. "He's not going to get away with this,"

"Oh, isn't he?" Harry said. "Because it seems to me like Zoom has already gotten away with it. Allen is powerless. The breach is open. Snow has been kidnapped, and now he's cured from his disease and will be coming to this Earth to take it over,"

"Stop trying to defend me Joe. I screwed up. I should've just left well enough alone, but instead I made everything worse." Barry said. "Everything has gone to hell, and it's all my fault,"

* * *

**Caitlin is gone. Barry's speed is gone. It seems like Barry is on a losing streak. So next chapter is going to be one that a lot of people have been waiting for since the beginning. One of the two is going to realize they love each other. What? Tell me who you think it is. The actual answer may surprise you.**

**So for a long time, I struggled with the decision on whether or not Caitlin should be kidnapped. For short term plans, no I didn't need her gone. But for long term plans, yes I did. As you can see, that's what I decided to go with. Do you guys think it was a good decision? How did I do?**

**We're winding down to the final chapters for the season. I estimate I still have maybe 3-4 chapters left to give before I go on a break before season 3. If there is anything last minute you want me to add for the season, now is the time to ask. Hope you all have enjoyed the journey so far. I'll see you all next week.**


	27. Hostage

**I am so happy to be sharing this with you. This made me both happy and sad to write, but I think it came out well in the end. My co-authors, Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash.**

* * *

Barry Allen is just a normal guy. He wakes up in the morning, gets some coffee in his system, and needs to make it to work on time.

There is absolutely nothing special about him in any way.

But there was once a time when he wasn't ordinary. He used to be extraordinary.

He could travel miles in just a second. Save a person's life in the time it takes to blink an eye.

That was all in the past. He gave it up to save someone's life. And in return he lost a friend. Someone who meant the world to him, even if he didn't know it.

The worst part of it though, is that he has no idea what happened to her. He's spent countless nights trying to find her, but he's never able to. And it's all his fault.

"I think it's time to say it." Cisco said. "Zoom has taken Caitlin to Earth-2. Otherwise, we could have found her by now,"

"I need to find her Cisco. It's my fault that Zoom managed to take Caitlin from us. I can't let her stay with that man any more than I will allow it." Barry said.

"Look, I don't blame you for that or anything. You couldn't have known what would happen if you let Zoom back to our Earth," Cisco was saying, which elicited a groan from Barry. "But wallowing in self pity isn't going to be doing anyone any favours. Especially Caitlin,"

"Then what am I supposed to do, Cisco? My mistake is the reason we're here right now. By letting Zoom back, I've let him endanger all of us, and Caitlin's been taken from us." Barry retorted, sighing as he flopped down on Caitlin's seat.

"If anyone should be blamed, it should be me. I'm the one that opened the breach that let Zoom back. I could have said no, but I agreed, which means it's my fault that Zoom is back," Cisco pointed out.

"I'm the one who told you to do it," Barry shook his head. "I pressured you to do it even when you said you didn't want to use your powers,"

"But I did it in the end. You convinced me that my powers aren't a bad thing and that's not wrong. If you didn't, I would be locking away a part of myself." Cisco said. "If you are going to blame yourself, then you need to blame me as well. We're going to get Caitlin back, I promise,"

"Like what Ramon said, you need to stop yourself from brooding because I think I just found a way to get your Caitlin back." Harry interjected, stepping into the Cortex with the glassboard. "We're going to get your powers back,"

"How? To get my powers, I need to get struck with lightning as well as exposed to dark matter. How are we going to recreate that?"

"A simple answer to a simple question, we're gonna set off the particle accelerator."

"Are you nuts?! The last time the accelerator went active, it made a huge kaboom in the middle of Central City. Not to mention, it will now definitely give every single person within the city super-powers." Cisco exclaimed.

"I've read what happened to Barry that night. I know the circumstances we need to recreate for Barry to gain his speed back. Wells from this Earth, I have his data. I can use it to give Barry his speed back," Harry insisted.

"But do you know how to contain the explosion? I mean, you tried this before on your Earth. It didn't work then, what makes you think it'll work this time?" Barry asked sceptically.

"I've come up with something that should be able to focus the dark matter explosion on yourself instead of the whole city." Harry said. "We can do this. Whatever plan you've cooked up won't last. Not against Zoom,"

Harry walked away to another part of the lab, probably to get the things he'd need to set up in order to perform the experiment, leaving Barry and Cisco to contemplate his offer.

"He's got a point," Barry said.

"Dude!" Cisco exclaimed.

"I mean, Zoom knows I no longer have my speed. I can't exactly fight his army without powers. We need to do something before he strikes. This could be the answer,"

"This is a potential answer with many potential dangers," Cisco said. "You've always said there is another way. You don't need to do this. Think about what you're doing,"

"This could be the best answer we can come up with. Zoom is coming for us, and without my speed, and Caitlin gone, this is the answer we need." Barry said.

"By using the device that created a hole in the city? Killed hundreds of people, injured several more, and changed physics overnight?" Cisco asked.

"We'll know what we're doing this time. It'll be controlled. Harry says he knows how," Barry reminded him.

"Well forgive me for thinking Harry could be wrong. I mean he's stolen your speed, created Zoom, and all of a sudden he's managed to find a way to control a dark matter explosion?" Cisco said.

"I'm going to think about this," Barry said. "But this seems like the answer we should be doing,"

"You just want your speed back, and to be honest I can't blame you. The city needs The Flash, but a lot of people need Barry Allen as well," Cisco said. "Caitlin does,"

"Well Caitlin's not here. And the only way we're going to get her is if I defeat Zoom," Barry said.

* * *

Caitlin's cell was kept relatively clean. She didn't have chains on her wrists, mostly because she would break them if Zoom dared to place them on her.

The glass containing her was something that she couldn't break with her powers. She suspected carbon, but she couldn't be sure.

Zoom came and went, leaving her food to sustain her, but she never touched a morsel of it.

"You need to eat," Zoom growled at her from behind the glass.

"Take off your mask," Caitlin demanded.

Zoom sped away and returned in civilian clothes, it was almost more hurtful to see him look so casual. "You happy?"

"I'll never be happy here,"

"Oh relax Caitlin, I just needed you out of the way. I couldn't let you stand against me, not with your powers and your connection to Barry," Hunter snarled out the name of his enemy.

"What are you talking about?" Caitlin asked.

"I'm talking about how you managed to get me to care about something other than myself," Hunter said. "You managed to get me to care about you. That's the only reason I let Barry live that night. I couldn't let you keep convincing me to spare people. That just makes me weak,"

"It makes you human," Caitlin said.

"Humans are weak. I am above that. I am superior to that. I won't be dragged down to be defined as such,"

"Then you're a monster, and I can't wait to see Barry take you down,"

"And there it is, your beloved coming to rescue you. So much faith, so much hope in something that will never be,"

"I don't understand what you're saying," Caitlin said, glare fixed on him but with a hint of confusion.

"I'm saying we could have been happy together. Just the two of us against the world, if it weren't for your infatuation with Barry," Hunter said.

"I'm not infatuated with him," Caitlin stated.

"That's a load of bull. Maybe you haven't noticed Cait, but you are so in love with him it's sickening." Hunter told her. "The little looks you two share. The way you talk about him. The talks you have with him. Your mouth might be saying you hate him, but your eyes. Your eyes tell a different story. They're filled with nothing but a disgusting amount of affection for your Barry,"

"What do you want with me?" Caitlin asked.

"I told you. I can't afford to have a weakness in regards to you. Someone would use you against me, and I can't have that,"

"So you're scared," Caitlin realized. "You're scared of what I could do to you. That I make you weak because you have feelings for me. You've taken me away so that I won't get between you,"

"Think what you want. But just know that as long as I am alive, you will never be released from this cage. You are never going to see Barry Allen ever again,"

"Barry's going to come for me. I know it. He's going to save me and then he's going to defeat you,"

"How do you know he's coming? In case you haven't noticed, the two of you argue so much it's maddening. You may love him, but I'm not too sure about him,"

"Barry cares about me. He's my friend, and we would help each other no matter what. It doesn't matter that we fight. In the end, we're there for each other because we care about each other. And I love him," Caitlin admitted.

Hunter had a surprised look on his face at Caitlin's confession. "So you finally say it?"

"I admit it. I love Barry. Maybe I always have. But I love him, and I know he's going save me, because I believe in him," Caitlin said and it was as if a weight had been lifted from her chest. She didn't know how long she'd been holding that in, but it felt so good to finally admit it to herself.

"It's a shame. I almost hoped I could convince you to join me. I should kill you right now so you can never be used against me, but my sentiment will keep you alive, for now," Hunter glared at her before speeding away.

Caitlin collapsed on the ground of her cell. She couldn't believe it. She'd just admitted to being in love with Barry. After years of arguing and fighting. Countering everything the other said, somehow she'd fallen in love with the speedster. How could this have happened? And why had she just admitted it to Hunter of all people? Why couldn't she have had the realization at STAR Labs? Everything was flipped upside down. These feelings she now recognized as her love for Barry, unfortunately for her, it was nothing new, which meant she'd fallen in love with him a long time ago. She was so screwed.

Caitlin could only hope that she'd survive long enough to return home. That she could get to Barry and tell him how she felt, because she needed to tell him. She had to.

* * *

Barry was driving in the forest to a little cottage where his dad was currently living. Barry had wanted to see him for some time and with his powers gone, it was the perfect time to visit, and get some insight on what to do.

"So why is the fastest man alive driving to his old man's place?" Henry asked, addressing the elephant in the room after a few moments of silence.

"I don't have my speed anymore." Barry sombrely replied, taking a sip of his coffee.

"What? How?"

"Zoom turns out to be Jay Garrick or rather Hunter Zolomon. He used Wally, Iris' newly found brother as a hostage to get what he wants, my speed. He also kidnapped Caitlin and I don't know what to do anymore. Why does she always get kidnapped to get to me?"

"Because you care about her. And listen, that's not a bad thing. It's wonderful that there are people that care about you so much. You're going to rely on those people in the future to help you. Just don't be blind to the consequences." Henry told him.

Barry sighed. "People keep going after the people close to me, and I can't do anything to stop them. And it's just going to keep getting more difficult from here,"

"Well focus on the problem at hand," Henry reminded his son. "Zoom has Caitlin? How do you plan on getting her back?"

"Harry has a plan to get my speed back. We're going to use the accelerator again to fuse my cells with dark matter once more," Barry mentioned.

"No," Henry immediately said.

"What?" Barry asked.

"No, I won't let you do this," Henry said. "The last time, you spent 9 months in a coma. What's going to happen this time? We could lose you for good this time,"

"Nothing is definite, but I'm seriously considering this. I could be The Flash again. I could stop Zoom and rescue Caitlin,"

"At what cost? You got lucky before Barry. Those doctors had no idea what to do with you. If Wells hadn't interfered, we could've lost you. I can't go through that again," Henry shook his head.

"I have sacrificed so much to keep Central City safe, and I'm going to do everything in my power to protect it. But I can't do that as Barry Allen, I need to be The Flash," Barry insisted.

"Well why does it have to be you? When is it someone else's turn to be the hero? Central City may need The Flash, but I need Barry Allen. I need my son," Henry said, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

"Dad, I promise you. Everything is going to be alright. I'll be okay," Barry promised him.

"Just promise me you will think this through carefully before doing anything. Don't rush into things because you think it's the best answer. Take a step back and think what this is really about," Henry said.

"I will. Anyway, this has been great. I should come and see you more often," Barry said.

"Well you won't have to, because I'm thinking of moving back to Central City soon," Henry smiled at his son.

"Are you serious?" Barry said, elated at having his father so close again.

Henry just nodded his head and the two men embraced each other in a hug. Maybe not everything had been lost.

* * *

Caitlin didn't know how long she'd been stuck here. The cave was always dark. The only constant companion was a man in an iron mask that couldn't talk. He just kept repeatedly tapping on the glass.

The isolation gave her plenty of time to contemplate on her current situation. She didn't have a way to escape until someone came for her. Hunter only came to hand her meals and the time between those were becoming more spaced out.

The only thought that kept her sane was the fact that Barry was out there and she needed to see him. Her newfound love for him was the only thing she could latch onto that gave her hope that she'd get out of here someday.

The thought of seeing him filled her with glee. She wanted to let him know that she did care for him. That he was the most honest person she knew and stood by his morals no matter what. He was the best person she had ever known and she didn't know how she didn't see that before.

Things may change between them now, but she didn't want them to. There was a reason she'd fallen in love with him, and she'd love nothing else than to keep their relationship as it was.

Maybe it was slightly cowardice to expect nothing would be different now that she'd realized how she felt about Barry, but she feared that he wouldn't feel the same and didn't want them to change. For all their faults, she loved him all the more for them. And for every second that passed, she only felt that love expand in her chest.

Caitlin tried to recall everything she could about Barry. The colour of his eyes and the way they almost glowed in the sunlight. The messy style of his hair and how it could never seem to be tamed. The different types of smiles on his face from his mischievous to his loving smiles.

Caitlin loved them all. She loved the way they made her feel. Her heated face, her dry throat. The weakness in her knees when he offered her a rare smile of genuine joy.

Her feelings, she never wanted to forget how he made her feel. The feelings of pure elation whenever they talked, the fast paced beating of her heart that would give Barry's competition. Even all the feelings of aggression and irritation. She wanted to remember all of it, because it was all Barry. It would always be her Fleet Feet.

Caitlin couldn't place when she'd started feeling these things, and she couldn't figure out how she'd never noticed them before. She didn't care though. All she knows is that she does have these feelings. She does love Barry. She could only hope that he would feel the same as well. Until then, she'd keep this close to her heart.

The days in the cell started to blend together. The days turned to weeks, maybe even a month. She could've been here for years and she wouldn't have noticed. All that mattered to her was that Barry Allen had stolen what was left of her heart, and the hope that he would give her his.

Caitlin didn't know how long she'd been like this, but a man, obviously a meta approached her cage.

"Zoom asked me to round up all the metas. We're heading to the other Earth. Who are you?" the man asked.

As a response, Caitlin activated her powers. She let her hair bleach and her skin turned pale. Her eyes glowed with power that threatened to freeze the blood of anyone who crossed her.

"Glacier!" the meta shouted with recognition. He must have known her doppelgänger back when she was a servant of Zoom. Barry had informed her of his adventure on Earth-2.

"Didn't think I'd see you again. Zoom found you, did he? Put you in here to teach you a lesson? Well I'm sure you've finished your sentence. Zoom will want you through the breach. I'll let you out of here,"

Caitlin couldn't believe her luck. This man was just letting her out and giving her a ticket back home. All she would have to do is avoid being seen by Zoom and she'd be home free.

The man unlocked the cell and set her free. "Come on now. Don't want to keep Zoom waiting. Got a tight schedule to keep,"

"What about him?" Caitlin gestured to the man in the iron mask.

"Zoom told me about him, girlie. I don't think he's ever getting out of here," the man laughed at the caged person before walking out. Caitlin had no choice but to follow.

The meta who freed her led her, along with many other metas to the breach that would take them to the other world. She'd managed to avoid Zoom from noticing her, keeping up her transformation so that he wouldn't recognize her. Caitlin put on a cloak to hide her silver hair, saying she was cold, and let her glowing eyes grant her acceptance among these fellow metas. She couldn't risk having these people recognize her as her doppelgänger, or Zoom would realize who she really was.

It was her turn to enter the breach and she took a step without hesitation. The longer she waited, the more of a chance she would get caught, and she couldn't have that.

The feeling of the breach was disorienting. When Zoom pulled her through the breach, it was so quick, she barely noticed it. Now that she was going it alone, everything seemed to be put into focus. Images flew before her eyes and were gone in an instant. And before she knew it, Caitlin was through.

She'd made it back to Earth-1. Now she just had to give these people the slip and get to STAR Labs. Caitlin looked up to the sky to see it was night. She felt like she hadn't slept in days. Caitlin just needed to sleep on an actual bed, and then she'd be ready to face the team again.

Caitlin just needed to wait for the perfect opportunity to escape unnoticed before they realized she wasn't supposed to be here.

* * *

"Hey." Joe greeted, standing over Barry with pizza in hand.

"Hey, did my Dad convince you to talk to me?" Barry asked even though knowing fully well the answer.

"He just cares about you, we both do. We just want to keep you safe. You gotta understand that, Barr."

"I know, Joe, believe me, I know. But this is currently the only plan we have to save Caitlin and defeat Zoom and we all know that we stand no chance without my speed. This is the only way."

"I'm so sorry that you think that Barry," Joe shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Barry asked, confused.

"I'm sorry that we've made you think that The Flash is more important to us than Barry Allen,"

"I don't think being The Flash is more important than being Barry Allen," Barry denied. "But The Flash is a part of me, and without it, I feel lost. The Flash is bigger than me, or you. He's meant to be a symbol that people can trust in, and right now he's gone,"

"But Barry Allen can be a symbol of hope too, it's all about perspective, Barr. Our badges, your emblem, they're symbols of the strength that we're charged with to get back out there but that can also be said about us. But it's your choice, just know that we'll be there whatever you choose."

"Then know that my choice is final. I need my speed back. That's the only way I can fight Zoom. I need to do this," Barry said.

* * *

Barry was being strapped into a container that was positioned at the mouth of the accelerator. That way he would bear the brunt of the explosion and no one else, hopefully.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Henry asked his son one last time. There was still time to get out of this.

"Being The Flash, that's the best version of me. That's the version people depend on the most, the one they look up to." Barry shook his head. "I can't accept that I can't be The Flash or Barry Allen. I know I can be both,"

Henry nodded his head in acceptance. He may not be happy about his son's decision, but he could see how he made it. The city desperately needed The Flash, and that's who Barry would always put first above everything else.

"So how are we going to do this?" Joe asked.

"We just need to recreate the conditions that caused Barry to connect with the Speed Force that night," Harry answered.

"How? Barry is no longer connected to the Speed Force?" Iris asked.

"Don't ask stupid questions. Barry wasn't connected to the Speed Force that night either yet…" Harry rolled his eyes at her.

"Okay, but there was a thunderstorm that night. Barry was hit by lightning. There's barely even a cloud in the sky tonight," Cisco pointed out.

"And an easy fix. Ramon do you have the wand?" Harry asked.

"The one I made for Mardon?" Cisco asked to clarify.

"No, the one you made for the Harry Potter convention. Of course the one you made for Mardon!" Harry shouted at him.

"How do you know about that convention?" Cisco asked.

"Ramon, get the wand. Get on the roof," Harry demanded.

"Why the roof?" Joe asked.

"Because he's going to call down a lightning bolt. Where else would you have him do it?" Harry asked sarcastically.

Cisco rushed off to grab the wand and climb to the roof of STAR Labs. "Okay I'm here. Wow, I don't think I've ever been up here. I think I can see my apartment from here,"

"Ramon, you should see a satellite disk. You need to have the lightning strike it. It's connected to the chamber where Barry is being held. Think you got that?" Harry told him.

"Waiting on you," Cisco said.

"I'm activating the accelerator. Hydrogen atoms have been released." Harry commented. "Call up the storm,"

Even though they couldn't see it, they could hear the thunder from outside to know Cisco had called forth the storm they needed for the lightning.

Harry meanwhile was injecting various chemicals into Barry's system. Henry saw what he was doing. "What are you doing?"

"The night Barry was struck by lightning, he was doing fingerprint analysis." Harry told him.

"You're killing him!" Henry shouted.

"We need to recreate everything that happened that night," Harry insisted. If they got anything wrong, they ran the risk of something worse than Barry not regaining his powers.

"I'm okay guys!" Barry grunted from his chamber.

"Initiating collision," Harry said as the atoms smashed into each other. "Now Ramon!"

"Expecto patronum!" Cisco shouted and the chamber was immediately flooded with electricity from the lightning that Cisco had redirected to strike the satellite dish. "Great Scott, it's working!" Cisco excitedly shouted.

The dark matter from the collision seeped out of the accelerator and flooded the chamber Barry was within, in addition to being struck by lightning again.

The dark matter mixed with the lightning and combined within Barry once again. Barry opened his eyes and let the lightning crackle beneath them, but something was different this time. Slowly, he dissolved before their eyes.

An explosion occurred, destroying the chamber Barry once dwelled within. The excess dark matter escaped down the corridor, but everyone's gaze remained fixed upon the destroyed chamber where their hero had disappeared.

"No, what have you done with my son?!" Henry wailed at his apparent loss of his son. The only family he had remaining.

"I didn't think…" Harry was struggling for words. "I'm so sorry,"

"Guys! Did it work?" Cisco shouted as he rushed into the room to see the destruction and the absence of the ex-speedster.

"He's gone," Iris whispered in despair.

All that was left behind was the charred remains of The Flash suit he was wearing.

* * *

**I am screaming internally! Caitlin has admitted she is in love with Barry! Honestly I thought I'd written a little more than I actually did. Caitlin has already broken out of her prison. And it was entirely by mistake! Hahaha. It's too bad Barry will be gone when she arrives. Next week, it's into the Speed Force. I'm going to write that a little differently than what actually happened in canon, but it's going to be very similar.**

**XWF1000: Don't worry, I'm not going to gone for over a year. Just a month or two. It all depends on my writing process. I'll be sure to give you a heads up the week before I return like I did before. But we still have a few chapters to go before then.**


	28. Stranded

**Sorry this is a little late, but better late than never. I'm just really feeling out of it today. Oh well. Co-authors, Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen. You know the whole deal.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash.**

* * *

Barry awoke with a start. Getting up, he saw he'd returned to his childhood home. Everything was as he remembered it. Even the fish tank with half of the water. Taking a look around, he felt as if the world had somehow taken on a brighter colour.

Barry tried to remember the last thing he was doing. Images flashed before his eyes on the experiment his team conducted to try to help him get his speed back.

With that thought, he had a sneaking suspicion he knew where he was now, but just on the off chance, he took a cautious step out the door and down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs was Joe waiting for him. "Barry, it was about time you got up. Take a seat," he gestured for Barry to sit down.

Taking a quick look around to make sure nothing was amiss, he sat down on the couch opposite to Joe. "What's going on? What am I doing here?"

"You're here for answers. And we're here to give them," Joe said, or not Joe going off what he was talking about. "Tell me Barry, what do you know about the Speed Force?"

"It's the source of my power. It's what makes me a speedster," Barry easily answered.

"Yes, and no," Joe said vaguely. "When the Big Bang occurred, created the universe, we were there. When the last proton decays and plunges the world into heat death, we'll be there too,"

"The Speed Force," Barry realized. "I'm talking to the Speed Force?"

The image of Joe just nodded its head with an expectant look on his face.

"Isn't that like having a conversation with gravity or light…?" Barry asked, utterly confused on what was going on. "That's trippy,"

"We pretty much invented trippy here," The image chuckled at his mere mortal understanding.

"If I'm here, does that mean it worked? The experiment? Do I have my speed back?" Barry asked.

"In a way," The illusion smirked at him. "You _are_ connected to the Speed Force again Barry. You wouldn't be able to survive here if you weren't,"

"Then why am I here? How do I get back? Please, my city needs me," Barry begged them to release him.

"So many questions. It's a good thing we have all the time in the world to answer them. The short answer of it, you're not going back home Barry. At least, not yet," The Speed Force told him.

"Until what?" Barry asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

"Until you understand what you are up against," The Joe impostor announced. "You need to understand the meaning of what you are,"

"And what is that?" Barry questioned.

"That's not for us to answer," The Speed Force said. "If we just told you, that would defeat the purpose of it all. No, you need to find out for yourself. Only then will you be allowed to return home."

"I can't stay here. I need to get back," Barry said, his powers activating and he ran out of the illusion of his home.

Barry continued to run through the familiar streets that weren't actually real. He just needed to find a way out and get back to his real home and take down Zoom to save Caitlin.

All of a sudden, another blur sped past him. Barry skidded to a stop to look back and try to catch another glimpse of the other speedster, but they were already gone.

Taking a look around, he saw he had arrived at the pier. On the bench was a face he would recognize anywhere, but it wasn't her. "It's you again," Barry grunted in frustration.

"You look tired Barry. Sit down," the image of Iris gestured beside it.

"What am I doing here?" Barry asked again.

"To find answers that you can only discover here," It said.

"Okay then. What was that I saw run past me earlier?" Barry asked a different question.

"Just another speedster. Thousands of them running around. Nothing to concern yourself with," They answered.

"But it looked like me. Does that mean something?" Barry had caught a brief glimpse of the other speedster, and he swore they looked just like him.

"We've lost track of the number of Barry Allen's that we've gifted. Don't think you're the only one we've paid a little attention to," They said.

"But he looked so scared. What are you doing to him?"

"Does it matter? He is not actually you. What happens to him has no meaning to you. You are here for your own reasons, as is he. Try not to get sucked into every little problem. It's the reason you ended up here in the first place after all,"

"So, what do you need me to do? Run around?" He asked, focusing on his problem.

"If that's what you want, but you won't get anywhere. We are endless. You could run in a straight line for all of eternity and you'd still be running. And considering you don't age here, you'll be running for a very long time," They said.

"So what is it that I have to do?" Barry pleaded. "I don't have much time. I need to get back before Zoom destroys Central City,"

"Oh Hunter. Such a disappointment he was. We had such high hopes for him, but alas,"

"You know him?" Barry said in shock. "You know what he's done?"

"Of course. He is just as much our child as you are. It is through your eyes that we see. Every speedster in the multiverse lends us their sight, for we are connected to them just as much they are with us,"

"Why haven't you done anything? You've let him wreak havoc with the powers you gave him,"

"Well not everyone is going to turn out like you. Some people are greedy, trying to obtain what they cannot have. Zolomon was one such person. We hoped he would be able to see beyond his past. That this would allow him to move forward," The Speed Force told him. "We were mistaken. He was too caught up with what had been to see what could be. Which is why people like him are always doomed to failure. Well, they would be if not for another one of our children having a bleeding heart,"

Barry hanged his head down in shame. "I'm sorry,"

"Don't be. You've nothing to apologize for to us. You've unleashed a monster upon yourself, that was your choice. You face the consequences, not us." They said.

"So why am I still here?" Barry asked once again.

"Because you're still searching for something. What that is, only you will know, and only then will you be allowed to return home. But not to worry, you literally have all the time in the world,"

"No I don't. As we are talking, Zoom is preparing his army to lay siege upon Central City. I have my speed back. I can fight him. You have to understand that," Barry pleaded.

"I guess we must correct ourselves. You do not have endless time, but we do. As long as the universe exists, so will we. And if you stay here, so will you," They said.

"But I can't stay here. You are keeping me here against my will. I need to get back. You need to understand,"

"We understand why you think that, and we will allow you to return home. It is you that are keeping yourself trapped here, because you have not finished your search,"

Barry shook his head. "No, you're wrong. I'm going to find my way out of here and I'm never going to come back,"

With that, Barry sped off once again to try to find his way out of the Speed Force.

* * *

Caitlin was patiently waiting for the perfect opportunity to escape. Her small disguise wouldn't last forever. Either Zoom would notice her among his army, or somebody would realize that she didn't belong with them. She needed to get out of here soon.

They were hiding out in CCPD after Zoom drove the officers out of the station. They had yet to reveal themselves to the new Earth. They had been waiting on Zoom to arrive to declare their attack. He was still on Earth-2, rounding up the last of the metas they could spare to come to Earth-1 and keep the fear alive on Earth-2.

It was at the dead of night that Caitlin saw her chance. She'd been given patrol duties. She tried to volunteer as much as possible to try to see her chance for escape.

The patrol was shifting positions, and while everyone was gathered at the front of CCPD, Caitlin came to the back and sprinted out into the streets. She deactivated her powers to blend in with the crowd better. Her hair turned back to its normal brown and her eyes dimmed with no power behind them.

She was just another civilian. An unknown face in a crowd of strangers. Caitlin just hoped none of the metas noticed her absence, but from what she saw, they barely knew who each of them were. Only the higher ups were well known, and with Glacier being absent for half a decade, her name had slowly been forgotten except for those who were there. It was pure luck that she was let out of the cage back on Earth-2.

But none of that mattered anymore. Caitlin took a look behind her to see if anyone was going to come after her. When all remained calm, Caitlin carefully made her way out of the area to not draw attention to herself. Now all she had to do was get to STAR Labs before anyone noticed something was amiss.

Quickly, and without interruption, Caitlin was able to make it to the entrance of STAR Labs by dawn. She was tired, she was scared, hungry, and covered in dirt, but she didn't care. All that mattered was that she was home safe and sound.

Caitlin entered STAR Labs and made her way to the Cortex. If there were people there, it would be in the Cortex.

Several people crowded the Cortex. All of them looked worse for wear. Hanging their head down in dejection. Cisco was the first to look up and the sound of someone entering the room.

When Cisco locked eyes with her, his eyes widened in shock and were immediately filled with joy. "Caitlin!" he exclaimed.

That got the attention of everyone in the room and they all turned to see if what Cisco said was true.

The second their eyes landed on Caitlin, they all broke out into smiles and rushed forward to give her a hug and welcome her back. They were all demanding to know how she had managed to escape from the hands of Zoom. They led her to a bed where Barry's father, Henry, was looking her over. Caitlin had no idea why he was here, but she could hazard a guess to say that he was here visiting Barry.

Speaking of Barry, Caitlin took a look around the room to see that he was nowhere to be seen. "Where did Barry go?" she asked.

It was as if her words had hit a mute button because everyone turned quiet at her question. It made her highly suspicious that the man had gotten into something while she had been away.

"Where is Barry, guys?" Caitlin asked once again. This time she spoke a little desperate. Barry was her inspiration that she would be able to get out of that hell hole. If something happened to him and she wasn't there…

"He's gone Cait. Barry's gone," Cisco announced.

Caitlin shook her head in denial. No, he couldn't be gone. Not when she finally had come to the realization that she loved him. Not when it took so long for them to get to this point. He couldn't be snatched from her just when she felt she could have some happiness in her life again.

"He's not gone," Caitlin said with tears starting to stream down her face. "He can't be gone, there's still so much we haven't gone through together. He's Fleet Feet, he can't be gone. What happened Cisco?!"

Seeing as they were best friends, Cisco felt it was best that he be the one to explain to her what happened to Barry. "We were trying to get Barry's speed back, so we used the particle accelerator again. It didn't work. It killed him instead,"

"I don't believe that. Fleet Feet is too important to die from something so stupid. He's survived from the explosion once before, he's survived again. I know it," Caitlin insisted.

"All that was left was the torn Flash suit he was wearing at the time. He's gone Caitlin, I'm so sorry," Joe said, handing the burnt piece of clothing to her.

Caitlin snatched it from his hands and lightly caressed it. Still, even looking at this thing, Caitlin refused to believe that Barry was actually gone. "Where's his body? I'm not going to believe he's gone until I see a body,"

"There wasn't a body. Barry was reduced to ashes. We all saw it, he disappeared before our eyes," Iris explained.

"Cisco," Caitlin shouted. "Vibe him. If he's alive you'll be able to see him. Get to it,"

"Caitlin please, I know this is hard, but he's gone. Barry is gone and I wish he weren't but he is," Cisco pleaded.

"And I'm telling you he is alive, now Vibe him!" Caitlin roughly shoved the piece of cloth into his chest and Cisco released a sharp gasp.

Cisco was transported into the eye of a storm. Wind swirling around him like a vortex with lightning flashing every now and then.

There were several indescribable figures in the storm alongside him. All of them standing as if waiting for something to happen to them.

There was only one figure that Cisco could properly make out in front of him. He was dressed in his normal wear. A red sweater and jeans. Even though his back was turned to him, Cisco could recognize him anywhere. "Barry?" Cisco asked himself.

The vision ended there, but Cisco was still left reeling from the feeling and the knowledge that Barry may not be as gone as they all thought. "I saw him," Cisco declared. "He was in some sort of vortex with lightning all around. I've never seen anywhere like it,"

"That means…" Harry had a look of realization on his face. "He's in the Speed Force,"

"That's great," Caitlin said, slightly smug. "Now get him out of there!" she demanded.

* * *

Barry kept running. There never seemed to be an end in sight. It was just everlasting. He wasn't even sure where he was supposed to be anymore.

Barry slowed to a stop and took a look around to see where he ended up.

"So nice of you to join us Barry," a voice called him. "Come take a break,"

"I can't take a break. You know that. I've told you, I need to get out of here!" Barry yelled and looked to see the image of his father staring back at him.

"You are resisting us Barry. We thought by placing you in an environment you recognized, you would be more comfortable. But yet you seemed stressed," The Speed Force said with a puzzled tone.

"Everyone I've ever cared for is at the mercy of Zoom, while I'm stuck here with you, and you don't even seem to care," Barry said. "How do you expect me to react?"

"We want to help you, but you aren't accepting our help. You're rejecting the power we've granted you,"

"How can you stand there and say that I'm rejecting you? Do you know how many people I've saved with the gift you've given me? The people I've lost?" Barry said, devastated at the reminder of all the people who had given their lives for him.

"We're not ignoring all the things you've gained. The accomplishments you've achieved. Or all the sacrifices you've had to endure. But for all of that, you haven't accomplished what we set out for you,"

"And what is that?" Barry asked.

"You've never come here," the image of Henry gestured to the area around them, which Barry finally recognized as the graveyard. Taking a step forward, Barry felt drawn to one particular headstone that bore the words 'Nora Allen'.

"Why am I here?" Barry asked.

"Because you've never been here," They replied. "For all the power you've gained, you never had the power to come here. We think it's because it would make everything real, and you would never be able to accept that,"

"I know it's real," Barry said, tears dripping down his eyes. "Everyday I know it is. I watched her die in front of my eyes, it doesn't get more real than that."

"Yet you have not come to face the reality of it. Always running,"

"Well that's what I'm supposed to do, isn't it? Run?" Barry said, bitterly.

"There's more than one form of running Barry. Which do you think you're doing?"

Barry took in a shaky breath and looked to the horizon. "I don't need to listen to this," and he took off in search of his escape from this cage.

Once again, nothing seemed to make sense on where he was going. Left was right, right was left. Barry wouldn't have been surprised if up was down. He'd passed by several other speedsters, but neither of them stopped or paid a second glance. All of them were here for a reason, and until they figured out what it was, none of them would be escaping.

Barry didn't have time to concern himself with these other speedsters in need. He had his own problems he apparently needed to work through. And he needed to do it soon.

* * *

Cisco was hooked up to several wires. The amount of energy they were using to try to trigger his powers was massive, but nothing should come of it as long as Cisco didn't succumb to it. His powers should protect him from the brunt of the discharge.

After another session of Cisco once again failing to communicate with Barry, they had to step away and try to figure out what they were doing wrong.

When Cisco was immersed, he could clearly make out Barry. They were sure it was their Barry, but they just were never able to get to him. His back was turned to them, and it was almost like something was preventing him from noticing them.

"Maybe he needs something that ties him into this dimension. A thing or a person who he has a strong enough connection with. Think of it as a lightning rod, the person or thing is the lightning rod and Allen is the lightning." Harry said after another session failing.

"I don't know if I can bring someone else with me into the Speed Force, especially with how tired I am right now. We've been going at this nonstop all night. I need some rest." Cisco said. He was rubbing his forehead from the mental fatigue he was experiencing from straining his powers. He didn't know how he was able to access the Speed Force. It wasn't like it was another Earth. It existed outside of space and time. They should consider themselves lucky he was even able to see into it.

"Well then you just need to keep trying don't you?" Harry said. "If you can't bring anyone else with you, you'll just need to reach him yourself."

Cisco just shook his head. "It's like there's something blocking him from hearing my voice. I'd need to reach deep within Barry for him to hear me."

Harry had a look of deep concentration as he thought over what Cisco was indicating. "Then you better reach deep,"

Cisco nodded his head, but sincerely doubted he could reach the part of Barry for him to come home. He didn't know if anyone could. Maybe Iris or Joe could, but again he didn't even know if he could bring them inside his vision.

"I'll do it. I'll go with Cisco." Caitlin volunteered, hoping to see Barry once again.

"You can't. With Allen gone, you are the only one who can stop the wave of metahumans from Earth-2 from destroying the city." Harry reasoned as the ice queen scowled at him.

"Well I don't see any attacks happening right now. Take me in, I'll be able to get through his thick skull, and if not I'll drag him back if I have to," Caitlin growled.

Harry sighed. There was really no changing Caitlin's mind once she'd set out to do something. "In a few hours." Harry relented. "Ramon is exhausted, he won't be able to bring himself back into the Speed Force right now, much less with an additional person."

Caitlin nodded. She could work with that compromise, and in the meantime, she could continue to monitor the city for any attacks whilst Barry was still out of reach. Zoom could be launching his attacks at any moment and they needed to be ready when he did. Caitlin wasn't given much information when she was within their midst. She was more focused on finding a way out without being noticed.

Harry turned back to Cisco. "Get some rest. Eat something. You'll need your strength. We'll start again in a couple hours with Snow. Be prepared. We don't know how your powers will react by connecting another consciousness with yours. If it's even possible at all,"

Cisco nodded, grateful for the break. He was going through a mental workout that he just wasn't used to, projecting his consciousness into a place where time stood still while his body remained behind. The mechanics itself made his brain hurt.

* * *

Barry wasn't sure how long he'd been running. It was just like the Speed Force had told him. No matter where he went or how long he'd been running, there was no end. His energy was still at a high. It was like his body was soaking up energy from the very air in this place. Not surprising since this was the source of his powers. An endless supply and he was right in the middle of it.

By the time he came to a halt, the sky had turned dark. He wasn't entirely sure why since everything here was an illusion, but he supposes it was just meant to make him more comfortable. Not that it did.

Taking a look around, Barry deduced he was back on the street of his childhood home. And sure enough, right in front of him was the house he grew up in. The house where his mother had been murdered.

Knowing he no longer had a choice and just had to keep going with these games, Barry stepped into the house.

There in the dining room was another figure. His mother.

Barry wasn't sure whether to cry or be angry. The Speed Force was manipulating him by showing the image of his dead mother. Did it not understand how hard this is for him? And it was just acting like this was all okay.

In the end, he cried, letting a few tears fall down his cheeks.

"You look tired Barry. Sit," She suggested.

Barry tentatively took a seat beside the image of his mother. His head hanging, not daring to look at her, lest he be reminded of that night. "You were right. I haven't been able to move past this. I don't think I ever will. I've been running, but I've been running away from my problems," he admitted.

"We know, which is why we're trying to help you. That's why you're here. If you continue, your path will hold nothing but suffering. The same path Hunter has taken. It's too late for him, but you still have a chance."

"A chance at what?" Barry asked.

"To move forward my beautiful boy. To always keep moving forward, and to never go backwards. That's never good, not for anyone,"

"Sometimes I just want everything to stop. Everything seems to be moving so fast and I just want it all to stop because I am so tired. And I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to keep up." Barry confessed his fears and doubts.

"My beautiful boy, bad things aren't going to stop happening to you. Even The Flash can't outrun the tragedies the world will throw at you, just know that everyone is behind you." The Speed Force said. "And your mother is so proud of the man that you've become. We both are,"

"Who's telling me that? Are you my mother?" Barry asked as the tears started falling down. "Is this real?"

"Whether we are real or not, it does not matter. All that matters is that you hear these words." She said. "We are always with you. In your darkest moments, we will always find you and give you the strength to go on,"

Finally letting out a sob, Barry lunged forward and embraced the illusion of his mother and in that moment he didn't care that this was all in his mind. He just needed to feel the comfort of having a parent with him. Whether that was the Speed Force or his actual mother.

Barry was just so tired. And he didn't know what he could do anymore. Everything seemed to be going so fast and he wasn't sure what he should process first. He just needed some peace and quiet. Just for a moment. Barry just needed everything to calm down.

* * *

**Barry isn't out of the woods yet. Of course Caitlin is going to bring him back next week. Slightly different than how canon did it. The way I see it, only a speedster can handle the strain of being in the Speed Force for long periods of time. It's the same principle as Flashtime, which is why I made Barry a speedster again, but something had to prevent him from returning. The answer; the Speed Force is deliberately keeping Barry trapped until he's overcome his problems. Or at least takes the first steps towards accomplishing that.**

**I also added some insight into the Speed Force, but of course the Speed Force is an omnipotent being, so how do I know what it thinks. Caitlin has also returned to the team without the detection of Zoom, so that's all good. But of course Barry is gone when she does. Maybe it's the universe telling her she shouldn't be admitting her feelings to Barry. No, wait. That's just me.**

**Oh well. Until next week.**


	29. Black Abyss

**We are almost there. After this, there is only one more chapter of season two. Hope you all are ready. Caitlin is getting Barry out of the Speed Force like many of you predicted, and their reunion is going to be about what you'd probably expect. I tried to add in a little humour at the beginning because the end is going to be pretty dark. And sad. Let's just get to it. My co-authors, Brightburn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash.**

* * *

Hours passed and Caitlin was getting impatient. Surely Cisco must have recovered enough to try again. They needed to try again. They needed to get Barry back. She needed to get Barry back.

Caitlin kept glancing over to Cisco every now and then to see how he was doing. He looked completely fine in her professional opinion and so she couldn't understand why he was just sitting there doing nothing. He was just eating a Big Belly Burger.

"Could you pass the salt?" Cisco asked. He gestured to the salt shaker across from him.

Caitlin wasn't paying attention and just grabbed the first thing she could reach before throwing it at him.

Cisco caught it to see what she had thrown him was not the salt, but an apple. Cisco looked at it, then gave a look of confusion at Caitlin. "This is the opposite of salt,"

"I know. We want to keep you in shape. Getting a little round there," Caitlin sarcastically commented on his unhealthy eating habits.

"I am completely fine," Cisco said, taken aback.

"Exactly. And we want to keep you that way," Caitlin retorted.

Cisco looked down at his stomach consciously before looking back up at Caitlin. He put his burger down. "Okay, we need to get Barry back because he is the only one that can stand your sass. I can't deal with this,"

"Finally, a good idea. Gets you out of that chair before you get stuck. Not sure how much longer it could have supported you," Caitlin said, rushing out of the Cortex down to the breach room to try to get Barry out of the Speed Force.

"I am in perfectly good shape!" Cisco exclaimed to her rushing form.

The two of them had called down everyone else. If Caitlin was unable to bring Barry back, they would have to use someone else until Barry would come back to them.

"Are you sure about this?" Cisco asked. "We're not even sure if this will work,"

"What other choice do we have? I can't face Zoom, he's too fast for me. If I were able to trap him, maybe but my powers aren't strong enough for that yet," Caitlin said.

They were putting the wires back on Cisco's head to stimulate his powers with his hand on Barry's clothes. Cisco offered his other hand to her which she took and Cisco brought the both of them into the Speed Force.

Their view transformed into an endless storm. Thousands of faceless figures stood all around them, but the only one they were focusing on was the person in front of them. Their Barry.

Caitlin reached out as far as she could go to try to get to him. "Barry! Take my hand!" she shouted desperately. They weren't leaving until Barry was returned to them.

* * *

Barry didn't know how long he'd been in the embrace of the Speed Force in the disguise of his mother, but it didn't really matter. It never seemed long enough when they finally separated.

"I miss her so much. I miss you," Barry said as if he were actually talking to his mother. This may be the closest thing he could have to see his mother once again.

"She knows that. And she loves you Barry. She always has, and she always will," She said.

Barry nodded his head and wiped the tears from his eyes. He tried to compose himself and took deep calming breaths to relax.

All of a sudden, it was like a light switch had been turned on in his head. He felt lighter. The quietness around him made way for the noise. The illusion around him was beginning to dissolve to show the true nature of the Speed Force.

Barry took one more look at his mother, smiled and gave her a nod. "Thank you,"

She offered a smile and a wave of her hand. Soon she disappeared from his vision as well. "She's waiting for you," they whispered into his ear.

"Barry!"

Someone was shouting his name. But who? The area around him was nothing but a storm. Trapped in the middle of a vortex with several other people standing motionless around him. They were just floating around him as if they weren't even aware of where they were.

"Barry!"

He heard it again. But where was it coming from? Was the voice familiar to him? He couldn't seem to place it. He was still in the Speed Force. That much he knew. But how could he get out? There must be some way he could get out.

"Come home Barry!"

Yes, that's what he wanted. He wanted to go home, but how? Maybe the voice was the answer. He needed to find where that voice was coming from. But there were so many people, how could he tell which one was calling him?

"Stop being lazy and turn around Fleet Feet!"

That name. Caitlin. Ms. Frosty. Who else would ever dare to call him that? What did she mean 'turn around'?

Barry swivelled his head to peer behind him, and there with her hand outstretched was his angel. Caitlin Snow was coming to take him home. He let out a relieved laugh and smile, which she returned.

"No need for such impatience Ms. Frosty," Barry replied as he stretched out his hand to meet hers.

Reaching to the absolute limit of the length of their arms, their hands finally managed to grasp each other and suddenly they were pulled away.

Caitlin remained standing, but Barry was unceremoniously dropped from the air and landed on his backside. Barry groaned in pain.

Caitlin laughed at him. "Classy," she commented.

Barry looked up at her when she spoke, almost as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Caitlin? Is that really you?"

"Sure is. I escaped, no thanks to you," Caitlin said, but Barry rushed her into a hug, so happy to see her.

"I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what you must've been through," Barry said. "I tried to get to you, but…"

"It's okay. I understand you did everything you could. Your powers were gone, and you needed to get them back before you could try to rescue me," Caitlin said. She released the both of them from the hug. "Nice job on that by the way,"

"Thanks. Listen, if there were any way I could have saved you earlier, I would have," Barry pleaded with her.

"But in the end, I didn't need it. I got myself out of there. Mostly because the metas over there lack in the intelligence department,"

"Oh yeah? You'll have to tell me about that someday, in the meantime, I need some rest. I was running around nonstop in the Speed Force trying to find my way out and now that I'm out, the exhaustion is finally catching up with me,"

"Well don't rest for too long. Zoom could act at any moment, so we need to be prepared," Caitlin warned him.

"I got it Ms. Frosty. No need to worry. Now that my powers are back, Zoom is going down,"

"Not if you give your powers up again. Or do something that causes him to gain the upper hand again Fleet Feet," Caitlin reminded him.

"That's in the past. Why are you always bringing up the past Ms. Frosty?" Barry said.

"You'd have to be an idiot to think that," Caitlin scolded him.

"Whatever. I've talked to the Speed Force. They told me I can beat him, and I will," Barry informed them.

"Would have beaten him already if you just left things alone," Caitlin mumbled to herself.

"I heard that!" Barry shouted.

"Good!" Caitlin replied.

The two of them stormed out in separate directions with the rest of the team left standing where the two had their little spat.

Cisco pursed his lips. "They're back. Everything's back to normal,"

Everybody nodded. They all alternated between looking back and forth at the two exits the metahumans left through.

"I need to get those wedding pictures Bartholomew and Caity gave me when I was on Earth-2," Cisco declared, needing some reassurance of the love between his two best friends.

"Can I have a look at them?" Iris said, needing some reassurance herself.

"I'll pull out the album," Cisco nodded his head. Iris followed him out the door. Joe hesitated for a moment with Harry staring at him, but Joe went off to follow them.

Harry was standing in the breach room by himself when he decided. "Yeah, why not?" and he made off to follow the rest of them as well.

* * *

Central City was swarming with metas. A siege of metahumans where everyone was attacked. There wasn't one place that wasn't being taken over by these people.

A saving grace came when a bolt of lightning came streaking through the streets, cleaning them up and taking these empowered beings away in the blink of an eye. It was as if they weren't even there if not for the damage around the city.

With hundreds attacking the city at once, The Flash was performing a miracle. Taking out these beings all at once across an entire city.

But there was only one person of interest among this entire army. The man who had manipulated them and rendered them nearly defenseless. The man who brought this army forth.

Barry wanted to strike down Hunter Zolomon.

There was only one place he could be. Caitlin's information told them he had taken control over CCPD. That had to be where he was holed up. There were no sightings of the black and blue speedster on the streets. Either he was able to hide, or he stayed behind in the station to watch the city fall apart by his army.

Once the immediate danger of the metas was taken care of, Barry raced over to the station. He combed every room, but he knew there was only one place that had any meaning to Hunter. His old CSI lab.

"You know I never saw the crime scene photos of my mother's death, but then again I guess I never had to. I had a front row seat to the whole thing," Hunter said, staring at the crime board of Nora's murder. "While you were whisked away 20 blocks before it happened,"

"So?" Barry asked. He had to be delicate with this situation. He had no idea what Hunter would do.

"Just goes to show we aren't so different. If things had gone differently, you could have just as easily turned out like me," Hunter said.

"I would never be like you. I could never be filled with such hate and emptiness to become you," Barry snarled. Besides their speed, the two had nothing in common.

"How's Caitlin by the way?" Hunter casually mentioned. "She wasn't in her cell when I checked on her. I assume she's with you now? Not that it matters. I already killed the guy who let her go, and soon she'll be dead as well,"

"You're not going to lay a finger on her. I won't let you," Barry glared at him for even daring to mention her. He didn't have any right to even speak her name after what he did to them, and especially her.

"I'll touch anything I please," Hunter said. "You think you can stop me? You couldn't stop me before, I destroyed your spleen, and back then I still needed you alive. Now that I'm cured, what use do you serve? Your nothing more than another pair of legs I need to break,"

"I will stop you. I promise you that. There isn't anything that can stop me, not even you." Barry said, his glare still fixated on Hunter.

"Not anything," Hunter smirked as he said that.

Barry was about to charge at him, but an explosion cut him off and he looked out the window to try to see where that came from.

"Now see, if it were me, I would let those people die and just try to stop the bad guy, in this situation, that's me. But you're not me." Hunter said. "You just can't turn away when there's somebody that needs you. That's the difference between you and I Barry. I care about the end result. You care about the means to get there. So which is it gonna be?"

Barry had a reluctant look on his face. He hated himself for this, but Hunter was right. He couldn't turn away when there were people out there that needed him and he could help them.

As he was moving to leave, Hunter called out to him. "You know, we're not so different. There's a fine line between you and I. It's there, but I know you're just one bad day away from becoming me,"

Barry had a scowl on his face as he raced off in search of where that explosion was coming from. Barry despised the fact that he was just leaving Hunter there when he had the chance to take him in, but he was right. Barry couldn't turn away from a cry of help.

* * *

Even with Barry's powers back, it was getting hard to keep up with the sudden intake of metas running rampant in the city.

The majority had already been taken care of in the first wave of the attack. Hundreds were already in cells at Argus since it was the only place they could hold them, but many more had escaped before Barry could bring them in.

They had managed to hide on this new Earth with a few popping up every now and then, but they still needed to get CCPD back under their control. At the moment, it was still swarming with Earth-2 metas with Zoom at the lead.

They needed to somehow create a weapon that would be able to take out all the Earth-2 metas simultaneously or else they would be cleaning up the streets of Central City for years. They didn't have that time because the bigger numbers would eventually wear Barry down, even with Caitlin and Cisco standing beside him. That was still only three metas against hundreds, maybe thousands. They would get overrun, and they would lose everything.

At the moment, all the Earth-2 metas were still within Central City. They needed to act before Zoom sent any minions out of their borders.

The only idea they could come up with was to exploit the fact they were from another Earth. People from another world have different vibrations than the rest. That's why Cisco's goggles didn't work on Earth-2. It was also why sometimes technology would suddenly stop working when Harry was around them long enough. His vibrations counteracted the vibrations of the tech, causing them to malfunction.

They could put that in reverse. If they could send out a strong enough sound wave through the city, every being from Earth-2 would collapse due to the contrasting vibrations. Nobody would be able to escape. Not even Zoom.

They had to run several tests on Harry to make sure they got the vibration correct to affect only the people from Earth-2. Everyone else would be safe. Sensitive people might experience a headache, but that was just the worse case scenario.

The plan was put into action. They would emit the sound wave from STAR Labs and Barry would be running around the border of Central City. That way, the sound wave would bounce off of him, causing the sound wave to amplify, making it that much more potent against the Earth-2 invaders. They would create special ear muffs for Harry and Jesse so they would remain unaffected.

Once they were sure the Earth-2 metas had collapsed, it was just a simple matter of rounding up every person that had mysteriously collapsed in the streets. They estimated they didn't have more than an hour before they regained consciousness. More than enough time for Barry to sweep the city and place them in a secure holding cell.

Picking up all these people, Barry saw a lot of familiar faces, but he tried not to let it bother him. When he got to CCPD, there were bodies littering the station, but no sign of Zoom. This confused Barry since he should have been affected just like everyone else. There was no sign of him anywhere in the city.

The only explanation was that he was gone. Somewhere the sound wave couldn't reach him.

The only question is how he could have escaped. Hopefully there would be some that would be helpful in illuminating that mystery.

But at least they had their city back. Now they just had to take care of Zoom.

* * *

"Hey, Ms. Frosty." Barry greeted the ice meta as he took a seat beside her.

They were currently celebrating the takedown of Zoom's army and Barry's return home. They even invited Dr. McGee, who was currently enjoying her time with Henry.

"Hey yourself, Fleet Feet." She replied, giving him a small smile.

"A little bird told me that you were pretty distraught when you thought I was dead." He teasingly said, earning a grumble from Caitlin, making him laugh.

"Who told you that? Was it Cisco? I bet it was Cisco," Caitlin mumbled to herself. "If it was Cisco, I swear…"

"Okay, let's tone down the rage." Barry tried to calm her down. "So it's true?"

"No!" Caitlin exclaimed in a shrill voice. "What you are hearing is complete lunacy. I was busy escaping from Zoom while you were comfortably in the Speed Force,"

"I wouldn't say comfortable. I was trapped in there. Stuck with nowhere to go. Nothing but the thought that I needed to get out of there and stop Zoom. Save you," Barry said.

"I can handle myself Barry. I think I've clearly managed to prove that," Caitlin said.

"I'm just saying, you missed me, didn't you?" Barry teased her.

"Until I remembered how annoying you can be," Caitlin said.

"Well you know, I missed you when you were gone. I was so torn up at the thought of losing you." Barry said. "I don't want to feel that ever again,"

Caitlin closed her eyes in frustration. "Why do you have to say such nice things? Makes me feel guilty, like I don't appreciate you or something,"

"Don't. I know. Even when you don't say anything, I know. I'll always know," Barry said.

"That's the problem. I don't want you to know. At least not yet," Caitlin whispered silently to herself so Barry wouldn't hear.

Caitlin was quickly glancing at everyone else at the house, trying to determine whether anybody else had managed to catch up on her feelings. She tried to maintain her facade, but inside she was dying. She was focusing on every little thing about her actions to make sure she didn't give anything away about how she was really feeling when she was confronted by Barry.

The both of them reconvened at the table where the rest of the family was, getting ready for dinner. Before they did, Joe wanted to propose a toast.

"Before we start dinner, I just want to say that it's been a hard year, but I'm just so glad that we're all here. Some old friends and the new. And may we be together for many more to come," Joe said.

"Yes, that is my kind of toast. Short and sweet. Alright, let's get to this dinner," Cisco said, just about to get himself a helping of mashed potatoes.

Cisco froze. His eyes glazed in a familiar way that the others were starting to recognize as his powers activating. Cisco was seeing something that only he could see.

"Tell me I didn't just see the end of the world!" He exclaimed, losing his mind at the thought.

"What did you see, Cisco?" Barry asked while all of the other guests just stared at Cisco in confusion.

"I saw Earth-2. It was being ripped apart. The ground split open. Everyone was dying," Cisco reported.

"I don't understand. How could he see these things?" Wally asked as he clearly did not understand what was happening.

"Sometimes, Cisco gets visions," Caitlin informed Wally so he was up to speed.

Then, it all happened so fast, even for Barry. Within the second Zoom appeared behind his father and choked him.

"Our story continues, _Flash._" The speed demon snarled before speeding away in a storm of blue lightning. Barry immediately followed him. Barry didn't have time to think about the fact that he just revealed his secret to everyone in the room, especially since not everyone at that table knew he was The Flash. Mainly Wally.

Barry chased Zoom down the streets. Turning down a corner, trying to find where Hunter was taking his father. Barry needed to get his father. He'd just come back into his life. Caitlin had barely escaped from this maniac. There was no way he could let Zoom take another person from him.

The blue lightning disappeared into his old house. The house where his mother had died. Barry followed him in. "Dad? Are you okay?" Barry asked tentatively.

"It's quite poetic returning to your childhood home." Hunter said while head locking Henry. His mask was now gone. "You still won't believe me when I say you and I are the same,"

"No, stop. Please, look I am begging you. Take me. Kill me instead," Barry pleaded.

"No!" Henry shouted. He wouldn't have his son sacrifice his life in order to save him. Henry wouldn't have his son die in his place. He refused to be the one to bury his son. His son should be burying him.

"So, I'm just going to make you believe me." Hunter continued, making the pressure around Henry's neck tighter. "You're going to watch your parent die just like I did,"

"Son, whatever happens, you have made me the happiest father in the world…" Henry started saying goodbye.

"No, stop saying that, you're going to be fine," Barry cried out.

"This is going to make you just like me," Hunter growled, rearing his vibrating fist back, ready to take the plunge.

"Your mother and I…" Henry tried to say.

"No, Jay!" Barry yelled out but it was too late, he was too late. Hunter's hand was already through his father's heart. "NO!"

Henry fell on his knees on a loud thud before completely falling on the floor while Barry kneeled down next to him, crying as he tried to wake up his father.

Nothing worked. His father wouldn't stir. His eyes were open, but they weren't truly seeing. They weren't alive like his father should be.

Henry wasn't moving at all. He was too still. That shouldn't be happening.

Zoom had left already, but Barry didn't even notice. His attention was fully stuck on his motionless father. If he squinted hard enough, Barry could almost pretend that his father was trying to talk. But that was just caused by Barry shaking his body.

Tears were rolling down his eyes as Barry continued to try desperately to make his father do something. Anything at all to indicate that he was still alive.

It wasn't until his eyes had been cried red and his hands sticky with blood that he had to finally accept that his father had been ripped away from him as well. Still, he stayed there through the night. Barry was ripped away from his mother that night, he wouldn't let the same thing happen with his father.

* * *

**That was so sad, even for me. I knew I was going to let that happen, but it still weighs heavy on my heart. I completely skipped the part with Black Siren, but she was only in The Flash that one episode. I'll probably mention it in season 3, but right now, there's no need for her on The Flash.**

**By the way, I'm gonna ask you, as the audience, what I should do for season 3. It's mostly plot out, I just need to get it on paper. But I'm still a little undecided as to what to do with Wally. Should I make him Kid Flash or not? Because I can continue with the story if he is or not. It's just some scenes are going to be different than if Wally is a speedster. Like the training scenes and whatnot. So tell me what you think. Should Wally become Kid Flash or not?**

**That'll be it for me this week. I'll see you all in 7 days for the season two finale of I Hate You, I Guess That's Love. Afterward, I will be taking a break, especially now that school has started. But I promise I will be returning. Sayonara.**


	30. Vengeance

**The end is upon us. For season two at least. We've still got so much left to do. I'm going to save my goodbyes until the end. My co-authors are BrightBurn1985 and Bartholomew Henry Allen.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash.**

* * *

"Barry?" Caitlin muttered, seeing him sit in his cell in the pipeline. "How are you doing?"

"How do you think I'm doing?" Barry glared at her. "My father was just killed. And when I want to go hunt down the man who did it, my team locks me up like some wild animal,"

"None of us wanted this to happen, but this is for your own good," Caitlin insisted.

"How can this be good for me? I'm the only one who can defeat him, I know that you can slow him down but that's not enough, he's still faster than all of you. I have to race him, Cait. It's the only way." He replied, banging the glass door.

"You're not thinking clearly. Your mind is clouded in your anger. You can't face Zoom while you're like that," Caitlin said.

"That is not your decision to make!" Barry shouted. "I can't believe you right now. My father was killed, and you lock me in a cell,"

"You're planning on going after this guy without a plan and letting your emotions cloud your judgement. It's not our fault that this is the only way to prevent you from making a huge mistake," Caitlin replied. "You won't listen to us, not while you're like this,"

"I do have a plan, you all just assume that I don't," Barry complained.

"Forgive me when I say, I think you're just saying that," Caitlin looked apologetic.

Barry scowled as he turned away from Caitlin. She didn't trust him. None of them trusted him. After all they had been through, they couldn't trust him when they needed him most. Though he could understand why they thought that, he did in fact have a plan to deal with Zoom.

"You don't trust me. No, that's fine because I've never trusted you," Barry responded.

"That's not what we're saying-" Caitlin tried to make him see reason.

"No, that's what you're saying. You can't trust me with anything. After all these years nothing's changed between us, and it never will!" Barry exclaimed.

"Things have changed. We've known each other for two years-"

"And you still can't trust me," Barry interrupted. "And now I will never be able to trust you. Any of you!" he shouted this into the camera he knew was currently in his cell.

"See this is why you're down here Fleet Feet!" Caitlin shouted, frustrated that he was being so stubborn. "You always think everything is fine, that you can handle things by yourself when you clearly can't! And then you just get angry when your friends try to help you,"

"You call this help Ms. Frosty?" Barry asked, ludicrously. "Caging me in a cell? Tranquilizing me when I'm grieving for my father?"

"You weren't grieving, you were talking about killing the man who killed your father," Caitlin retorted.

"And so what?!" Barry shouted. "That man doesn't deserve to live. After everything he's done, dying would be a mercy to what I would do to him,"

"You can't do that Barry," Caitlin said. "You don't decide that. You're not a god. Killing Zolomon won't bring your father back, and all that will do is make you feel guilty,"

"Maybe," Barry nodded in acknowledgement. "But after it's done I'm gonna sleep like a baby knowing I buried the bastard who murdered my father,"

"We don't go around killing people just because they make us angry," Caitlin tried to remind him. "We're not the judge, jury, and executioner."

"This man can't even be called a man. When he got his powers, he used them to conquer his Earth, killing people just because they didn't serve him any purpose. Families were destroyed because of him. And you think he deserves mercy? That kind of person is a shoot-on-sight kind of person, and I'm not going to pull any punches,"

"Barry listen to yourself…" Caitlin tried to say.

"You listen!" Barry shouted. "There isn't a place where I can't find him, so Zoom better start running for an eternity if he doesn't want me to catch him,"

Caitlin shook her head in dismay. "You won't get the chance, because you're not getting out of here Barry,"

Barry sneered at her. "I'll get out, because there is nothing that can stand between me and the need to avenge my father,"

* * *

"He's not listening to us," Caitlin reported to the rest of the team after returning from the Pipeline.

"I can't say I blame him. The guy just lost his father after getting him back. To top it off, we've put him in a cell designed for criminals," Cisco shared his thoughts.

"He'll understand someday. This is for his own good. If Barry gets to Zoom, only one of them is leaving and in his current state, I doubt it's going to be Barry," Joe said.

"Well if Allen isn't going to be part of our plans, we don't have much of one," Harry said.

"Who asked for your input?" Cisco asked.

"You did since I'm still on this Earth, and being the smartest person in the room, you all need me," Harry responded.

"You've got a plan?" Iris asked.

"No, what makes you think that?" Harry asked.

"You said that you had a plan," Iris pointed out.

"Not much of one. And with Allen out of commission, we might as well scrap it," Harry said.

"What was the plan?" Cisco asked.

"Let Allen have his turn with Zoom. If he failed, hopefully the rest of us would be able to finish the job once Zoom was tired," Harry reported.

"You planned to use my son as a throwaway? Just something to tire out the monster so the rest of us could stand a chance?" Joe asked angrily.

"No, that was the back-up in the event Allen couldn't kill him. No matter what happens, Zoom can't be allowed to live. There isn't a prison on any Earth that can contain him. The only option is death,"

"We don't kill," Joe said.

"Oh please Detective. You've killed people. Lots of people, it's part of the job. You've killed metas too. That's not the problem. Therefore, there is no problem. Believe me, if there is anybody who needs to die, it is this one." Harry insisted.

"We can't just trap him on another Earth?" Joe suggested.

"He's a speedster. He could open a breach and jump back himself, eventually. The only reason he didn't do so before was just because he needed to test whether Allen's speed was ready or not,"

"Is there really no other option?" Iris asked.

"We could have used Snow as a distraction while we tried to take a shot, but I doubt that would have even worked, even if he was still enamoured with our dear doctor. She's made it perfectly clear she is no longer interested," Harry said.

"We can't kill him. We just can't," Iris continued to insist.

"Snow, what say you? You've been especially quiet for this discussion," Harry prompted the doctor.

"Hunter can burn in hell for all I care," Caitlin glared, staring down to not look at anyone.

"I think that answers that," Harry said, readying his gun. "If it helps, there's an alternate reality where we've all decided not to kill Zoom. They're probably all dead, but at least they did the morally right thing," Harry added sarcastically.

Everybody looked at him. That didn't help at all. What was the right thing to do? Should they kill him, or keep him alive?

* * *

Barry was stewing in his anger, trapped in his cell. They were all idiots if they thought they could take on Zoom without him. After everything that's happened, Barry deserved to be there. They couldn't just sideline him like some meaningless person on the team. They spent all year chasing down Zoom, and when they almost got him, they just took him out like it was nothing.

Nobody stood a chance against Zoom. Not even Caitlin with her ice powers. They may slow him down, but it wouldn't be enough when Zoom was constantly vibrating his body to stave off the freeze.

Barry had to keep that in mind the next time he went up against the ice queen herself. If he got the chance to anyway.

All the time Barry was stuck down there, he just kept going over how he would stop Zoom. Barry wanted to kill him. He really did. After all the things Zoom had done, and not just to him, but to all the people of Earth-2, death was too good for him, and that wasn't an unbiased opinion.

Hunter deserved something far worse than death, and his idea was to use the Speed Force. Barry had a debt to pay them after all, since he had allowed Zoom to continue abusing his powers instead of letting things unfold the way they should have.

If he could just get out of here. Barry had no idea how long he'd been here, nor how to get out. He may have said that he would get out to Caitlin, but he had no idea where to begin. Barry was going to get out, that was a guarantee. He just had no idea how.

That was why Barry was so surprised to see the door to his cage open with Wally on the other side of it.

"The others aren't going to approve I did this, but we need you Barry. My dad's been taken," Wally informed him.

Thoroughly alarmed, Barry grabbed a hold of Wally and rushed the two of them into the Cortex where the remaining members of the team were situated.

"You guys went after Zoom yourselves and got Joe taken?" Barry shouted.

"I assume you let him out Mr. West?" Harry gestured to Wally.

"Wally, we told you. We are going to get dad back," Iris said.

"No, don't go blaming Wally for this. You should have come to me the instant things went sideways with your half-baked plan. Did you really think you had any chance against Zoom without me?" Barry defended Wally.

"You know what, yeah we did," Iris nodded her head. "With Caitlin's powers and Harry's intelligence, I thought we stood a chance,"

"A tiny one," Harry muttered.

"And instead, you got Joe kidnapped by a madman. Great plan," Barry said sarcastically.

"This wouldn't have happened if you could have just calmed down-" Iris started to say.

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down!" Barry shouted at her. "You don't have the right to tell me to calm down! This man just killed my father with no remorse. He just kidnapped your father. This man will kill all of us given the chance, and you are telling me to calm down?!"

"Yes we are!" Caitlin shouted at him. "For once in your life, just listen to me, Fleet Feet. You're angry. You're livid beyond imagination, and that's understandable. That's expected, but you can't let those feelings be your fuel for your actions. You need to come to a decision through rational thought. Not plans made through a red haze,"

"And I've told you before that I had a plan to deal with him, but you didn't believe me. I do have a plan. I know what I'm going to do with him, but none of you trusted me to make the right choice. I'm not stupid, I fully know what I'm doing and I know it's going to work, if you people just put a little bit of faith in me," Barry ranted.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you at the time Barry," Caitlin shook her head. "And to be honest, a little part of me still doesn't, but if you say you have a plan, I'll follow you,"

"Thank you. I just need you guys to trust me on this. I know what I'm doing," Barry said.

"And exactly is your plan?" Harry asked.

"Zoom wants to race, and I'm gonna race him. And I'm gonna beat him at his own game," Barry announced.

* * *

They showed up at the sight where Zoom was keeping his ultimate weapon. The place where they would have their final showdown one way or another.

"Let him go," Barry demanded Hunter who had Joe beside him in chains.

"Not yet. Once we race, depending on the victor will he be released. He's my insurance, and you don't get him back unless you win," Hunter said.

"What is this?" Barry asked out the device behind him.

"A contraption your Earth has been developing. It's supposed to test the theory of the multiverse. To be able to see into these alternate dimensions. It's called The Magnetar. I've done a few tweaks,"

"You're going to use it to destroy every Earth in existence," Cisco realized. This must be what his vision was warning him about,"

"All except this one. This Earth is the centre of the multiverse. It's the only Earth where this would be possible," Hunter revealed.

"How generous of you," Barry glared at him.

"I need some place to hang my cowl," Hunter smirked.

"What are the terms of the race?" Barry asked.

"One lap around the ring will produce 1 gigawatt of energy, and I need 500+ to power The Magnetar enough to do the job," Hunter told him. "Once it's full, I win because there is no stopping it,"

"So all I have to do is stop you before it finishes charging," Barry stared at the track they would be racing on. He needed to get to Hunter before they reached 500 laps, otherwise it would be all over for the infinite amount of people out there in the multiverse.

"Yep, it's that simple," Hunter confirmed. "But if at any point you decide you won't race anymore, dear old dad #2 is a dead man. As well as your little fan club,"

"They're not my fan club," Barry shook his head. "They're the reason that I'm running,"

Hunter chuckled at that. "Let's see what you're made of Flash,"

The two of them got into their stances and pulled down their masks. Lightning jumping up and down their bodies as they waited in anticipation.

"Just say when Zoom,"

"Run Barry," Zoom growled. Taunting him with the saying so many people have said to him that was meant to inspire hope. "Run!"

Faster than a rocket, the two of them sprung into action. Hunter, always just a little ahead of Barry. Both of them were in the ring. Barry giving chase, giving it all he had. The countdown has begun, and he couldn't waste a second, for every step they took brought them closer to their doom.

The ring was siphoning off the energy the two speedsters created as they were running. Barry was weaving in and out. Trying to outmaneuver the speedster ahead of him, but Hunter always managed to sprint out of the way. They were running on the inside and outside of the ring, Barry trying to find an advantage before time would run out.

The energy was beginning to collect into The Magnetar and it unleashed a beam of energy into the sky. It tore apart the fabric of the world, creating a rift to access the infinite Earths.

Barry looked up to the sky. Time was running out if the rift had already formed. Something needed to change. Barry would never be able to catch up to Hunter in time at this rate.

If he could save Joe, then he could stop this race entirely. No, that wouldn't stop Zoom from powering up The Magnetar himself. But if Barry could get off the ring without any consequences, it would give him more time.

And it was as if someone had answered him. Or more like he had answered them himself for hole had opened beside him and out came another Flash. Another speedster that would be able to chase after Zoom. If this version of himself could keep Hunter busy, Barry could release Joe from his bindings to join the others, and they could escape.

Nodding to his time remnant, Barry jumped off the ring and stopped at Joe. Vibrating his hand like a power saw and destroying Joe's chains. "Run Joe! I'll explain later!" Barry pushed Joe away to join the others.

Once Joe was away, the rest of the team ran off to safety from the two… three speedsters before things got ugly.

Zoom jumped off the ring with his time remnant behind him. Now that Zoom was off the ring, there was no reason for him to continue running on it, letting the device siphon off his energy to power The Magnetar.

Without any speedsters powering it, The Magnetar grew dark and the rift had closed.

Zoom didn't notice any of it. He was too angry that his plan had been foiled by this upstart who thought he knew what it meant to be a speedster. He tackled one Barry to the ground. Grabbing hold of his throat, choking the life out of him.

"A remnant?" Zoom snarled at him. "Stole my trick Flash,"

Barry tried to get Hunter off of him, but it was no use.

The time remnant got to them and grabbed Zoom off. The remnant started sending his fists to collide with Zoom, but Zoom soon retaliated whilst Barry was still catching his breath.

After nailing Zoom in the face, Zoom was sent back, holding his face. Letting out a growl, he turned back to the remnant. The remnant sent another speed punch to his opponent, but Zoom grabbed it in time. Not giving a moment to waste, Zoom used his other hand to strike a blow into the elbow of the captured arm, bending it in the other direction.

The remnant screamed in pain as he crumpled to the ground, clutching his broken arm. Zoom just glared at the extra person and lifted a vibrating hand down onto its head.

The attack was swift and merciless as the head rolled away from the body. The body collapsed once the head had been dislocated from the neck. The body disappeared from view, taken by some unseen force.

"One done. I should have done that from the beginning," Zoom stated.

Barry took a deep breath, trying to relax himself. Barry had the advantage here. Zoom had just gone through an intense spar with his time remnant. And even though Zoom had emerged victorious, he would have to go through it again with him. And Barry had just spent the last few minutes resting.

Barry rushed him. He had to press his advantage. Zoom was more tired than he was. He would be slower, which would prove to be his downfall.

Hunter tried to unleash his own attacks, but Barry easily blocked them. Getting a few punches in, Zoom was forced to retreat, not that Barry would allow it as he followed him.

They ran everywhere. There were times Zoom tried to lead him back to the ring, but Barry would cut him off. Even though Zoom was in the lead, Barry was able to control which direction he would be going.

Running up the side of the building and back down, Barry managed to grab a hold on Zoom's suit and slam him into a wall. Pulling Zoom back up, Barry sent several speed punches to Zoom's midsection, moving upward to his face.

Zoom was knocked down, injured and exhausted after having gone through the ringer with two speedsters.

Holding him down, Barry readied a vibrating fist in the air, just waiting to plunge into Hunter's chest and crush his heart like he did his father.

"You're a hero Barry," Hunter said with full confidence. His voice no longer resonating. He was too tired to keep it up. "You couldn't kill me before. You won't kill me now,"

"Death is too good for you," Barry said, letting his hand down. "I don't need to kill you, because you are going to suffer for the rest of eternity,"

The familiar sound of a tear in space and time opened and out came a pair of ghouls. Servants of the Speed Force. Barry didn't know how, but his time in the Speed Force must have gifted him with some knowledge to its workings. Time Wraiths, come to take speedsters who have been messing with the timeline.

They were attracted to his time remnant, but with Zoom, the dead man walking in front of them, they found a much more appealing target.

Barry ran, knowing that if they caught him, he would have to suffer the same torment as well.

Hunter was too tired to run away. His injuries were hindering him, so he had no chance of escape. But judging from his terrified scream, he knew exactly what these creatures were.

The ghouls circled him, unleashing their terrible power onto him, transforming him into a creature. A mindless slave to the Speed Force.

The Time Wraiths carried the transfigured form of Zoom back through the tear they created into the Speed Force, Zoom would forever be a slave, forced to do their bidding for the rest of time. Hunter Zolomon was no longer.

Barry watched them carry Zoom away, a feeling of satisfaction as he heard the tormented scream of his foe. He couldn't feel a hint of remorse of Hunter's outcome. There were so many things he wished he could do to the monster, but he supposes this was the best outcome he could hope for.

* * *

"Hey, how are you doing?" Caitlin asked, sitting next to Barry in the stairs at West Household's patio.

They were currently having a party for the victory and for Henry but Caitlin saw that the scarlet speedster was nowhere to be found, so she looked until she saw him sitting there.

Barry just shrugged indifferently. His eyes stared up at the sky. "When we saw my father's doppelganger, I thought it would be easier, knowing he's still out there. It doesn't. It just makes me miss him more,"

"I'm sorry about your father," Caitlin said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Why are you sorry? You hardly even knew him." Barry stated.

"You cared for him. He was your dad and he was killed in front of you. I can't even imagine…" Caitlin shook her head at the thought.

"Stop. Just stop talking. Why do you care?" Barry asked, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

"Because I care about you Barry,"

"No you don't, you never did. You've always hated me,"

"I do care. I really do and I thought that you know that even though I don't say that I care, you know that I do? What happened to that?"

"You all stabbed me in the back. Or more accurately, you shot me in the back," Barry responded.

"And we're all sorry for that, especially me. I'm sorry that we didn't trust you when we should've. I'm sorry that we locked you up when you were still grieving and I'm sorry for your father's death."

"Just stop talking. I don't care about what you have to say. You don't mean anything you say!" Barry shouted.

"Listen to me Barry. We all care about you." Caitlin insisted. "I lo-"

"What could you possibly have to say?" Barry interrupted her. "You have nothing to say and neither do I. I am filled with anger and hatred. I hate everything right now. Especially you. I hate you Caitlin Snow!"

Caitlin's eyes prickled with tears. She knows that he doesn't mean anything he just said, he was just angry that his father's death and he's taking it out on her but she can't help but be hurt by his words. She also almost told him what she feels, what she feels for him.

She stood up and walked towards the door, she grabbed the handle before stopping. "When you're finally ready to talk without being angry, come talk to me. Until then, do what you need to do, we'll be here when you get back." She said before wiping her tears away and went inside.

"I don't need you! I am done with you. With everything here!" Barry shouted at her retreating form. "You are the bane of my existence Caitlin Snow. Do you hear me? I despise you with my soul,"

After all the yelling, he ran. He ran as far away as possible from Central City, from his father's death, from the memories, from Caitlin.

Caitlin watched from the window as Barry sped off. Tears falling from her eyes from the sheer loathing she had seen in his eyes. "I love you Barry," she whispered to herself. And she hoped Barry could hear her, even though she knew it to be impossible. But then again, the impossible was every Tuesday for them.

* * *

Barry was now standing outside of his childhood home, flashes of red and orange lightning appearing on the window. He was just waiting for the right moment to enact his plan.

He time-travelled to the night that his life changed, the night that started it all, the night his mother was murdered.

After a couple minutes of waiting, a yellow streak of lightning rushed past him with his eleven year old past self. He smirked before running inside, just in time as Eobard was about to stab his mother through the heart.

Surprised by the tackle, Eobard dropped the knife before getting pinned on the wall by Barry as his mother watched in horror and confusion.

"You're not gonna kill her this time, you're not gonna kill her ever again." Barry said before knocking out Eobard.

He saw the crying form of her mother and decided to comfort her, she backed away at his touch but he reassured her that everything will be fine now. He's sure of it.

After comforting his mother, he looked up to see his past self peeking through the door with a smile before disappearing all together.

"Hey, it's okay." Barry tentatively reached out to his mother. She was still looking at him with suspicion. She wasn't sure whether this humanoid thing had come to save her or kill her for himself. "You're safe now,"

Nora was still unwilling to talk, so Barry decided his job was done. He picked up the body of The Reverse Flash and traveled back to his own time. Barry wasn't sure how things would have changed, but he was excited to find out.

* * *

**That's it! It's over! Season two has been completed. This was my favourite season of them all so I hope I did it justice. How was that ending? Barry acting in a fit of rage and telling Caitlin he hated her while she was trying to tell him she loves him. Ugh. Tears were forming in my eyes when I wrote that. But now it's on to season three. The season so many people have been waiting for because it's the season where these two idiots finally get together.**

**I know some people might not like the fact that I decided to do Flashpoint, but I assure you, it's going to be entirely different than the show. And I know I already had Caitlin become Killer Frost, but I have my own reasons for making Flashpoint a thing. Plus I never liked the fact we only saw Flashpoint in the one episode, even though that was all they could do so they could continue with the rest of the Arrowverse, but I've decided I'm going to expand on Flashpoint. Get ready to see an entirely new world I've created taken from inspirations across the DC world.**

**But I'm going on break now. With school starting up again, I don't have as much time to write anymore, so be prepared for a longer hiatus than last time. I'll try to return in October, but it's most likely going to be some time in November that I return. Tell me what you would like to see in season three and I might input your suggestion in the story. This is where lots of things are going to break away from the show, but not too much.**

**I'll see you all again when the time is right. But we'll meet again, I promise you all that. I love this story too much to just end it here.**


	31. Flashpoint

**Is it time already? Middle of November, guess I have a promise to keep. Time for me to crawl out of my hole. So this isn't actually a return, this is just a trailer I guess. I wanted to do something else than the sneak peaks I did last time, so I made this. This is basically just how I imagined Barry's life would turn out after that night. Instead of skipping to the present, we get to see Flashpoint Barry Allen live his life. It's not that important, I just thought it'd be nice to see. But is also doesn't give too much away about the timeline. Hope you all enjoy nevertheless.**

* * *

Barry Allen had lived a normal life. He had two parents he loved. He went to the college he always wanted to go to. He had a good stable 9 to 5 job aside from any special circumstances.

Barry Allen had a good life. But there was always something missing. And he didn't know what. There was nothing wrong with his life per se. But there was nothing to say about his life at all.

The only interesting thing that ever happened in his life was one night there was a living lightning storm in his house that disappeared as soon as it arrived.

Over the years, his parents put it all behind them. Acted as if it never happened in the first place. Made it out to be nothing but a dream or hallucinations brought upon by alcohol.

But Barry knew the truth. The impossible was out there. His parents always tried to convince him that what happened that night was nothing but a dream, but it wasn't a dream when Barry had to run home from twenty blocks away in his pyjamas with no idea how he got there.

But in respect to his parents, Barry acted as though he'd put it behind him as well. Barry would stay in his lane. Keep his head down and act the part, but inside he knew. Barry knew what really happened that night.

Throughout his life, Barry had always done what he was told. His whole life was already predetermined by his parents. His choice of school, his job. Even the apartment he chose to live in once he moved out of the house was selected by his parents. And he was fine with that.

But there was always that feeling in the back of his head that made him feel like there was more he was meant to do than live a sheltered life with his parents. That there was something out there calling to him to be something special beyond anyone's dreams. But nothing ever happened in his life.

Until the day it did. The world was changed overnight with the arrival of the extraordinary. People they'd known their whole lives had shown to have extraordinary abilities. It was the dawn of a new age. And for once, Barry didn't think he was crazy.

But even with these new revelations in the world, life continued on for Barry Allen. Nothing ever happened to him. Barry was just an ordinary guy in an extraordinary world. And that was okay. But Barry still could never shake the feeling he was meant for something more. That he wasn't living his life the way it was meant to be.

Barry Allen was stuck. And he had no idea what he was going to do about it, or if he was even going to do anything at all. Despite this feeling, Barry liked his life and he wasn't sure if he wanted to do anything to change it.

But could Barry just sit and be content with how his life turned out? Barry Allen was satisfied with his life, but he wasn't happy. He wanted to enjoy his life, to feel the thrill of being alive each and every day. But all he could muster was a burning sensation of indifference.

Was that enough? To live your life doing the same thing everyday and just be content with what you have? Could he live with that thought that he was nothing more than another body in the world that would be forgotten once his time was up? That one night where the impossible happened in his living room was the last time Barry Allen could truly say he felt something other than the pure boredom that was his life.

He knew that many people would love to have his life. It was predictable and thought out to the point where Barry didn't even need to think about what he was doing during his usual tasks. It was the same thing over and over again with minor differences depending on the day of the week. And that was okay. Barry just didn't think it was for him.

Barry wanted more for his life. Not to just be stuck in an office everyday doing menial tasks day in and day out. There was a whole world out there and beyond that even. Could he just uproot his life and take off? After all the hard work he and his parents put into his life?

Barry Allen wanted to believe this was enough. That he could spend the rest of his life filing folders and sitting on a desk behind a computer, doing whatever his superiors demanded of him. Whether it be from his parents or his boss.

But inside he was waiting for the day that something would finally happen to him. That he could finally leave behind his old life and embrace his new one. That he could shed this act of playing the normal person and actually make something of his life that he could enjoy with his whole being.

But days, months, years passed and still nothing ever happened. The world continued to spin and Barry Allen remained the usual person he'd always been his entire life. And maybe that was all he would ever amount to be. Maybe it was time to leave behind the dream that there's something special out there that's just meant for him and nobody else. That this was all he would ever get out of his life. And maybe then he could finally be content with how his life turned out.

Barry Allen lived a good life. It just wasn't a great one. He wasn't meant for one of those.

Those were the last thoughts whirling in Barry's head as he got into bed one night and went to sleep.

As he was drifting off into the abyss of unconsciousness, a wormhole opened on the other side of the city, ejecting a pair of speedsters. One of them being a Barry Allen that had come from a great life. One where he was special. Where he'd done extraordinary things all in the name of being a good person.

But the timeline is always fickle, and with the arrival of another version of Barry Allen, the timeline was forced to split the two up. One where this special Barry Allen would get the chance to live the life of his alternate self.

And the normal Barry Allen faded from existence where he would continue on in his usual life where nothing unusual would ever happen in his lifetime.

* * *

**So that was a little sad. I honestly think I made Flashpoint Barry into a psychopath. That was never my intention and we are never going to see this version of Barry Allen again. But it was an interesting thing I though I'd like to point out. I basically just wanted to make it so Barry would live a normal life, but after that night, Barry would constantly be expecting the impossible to be knocking on his doorstep, but it never would.**

**Like I've said, Barry was happy with his life, but he just expected more from it rather than the mundane of the world. High expectations that were just never met. Don't feel too bad.**

**So, the story will officially return next week, November 20th, with the first chapter of season three. Hope to see you all there.**


	32. Second Impressions

**I'm back with season 3! Just like I promised. Now the first few chapters are going to be about Flashpoint. It's an entirely new world I created that I hope you all enjoy. My co-authors as always are Brightburn1985 and ThomasMarieAmell2.0.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Arrowverse.**

* * *

Barry had done some quick searching in this timeline to find a decent hiding place to keep Eobard locked up.

It wasn't like he could just drop him off at a prison, even though it seemed this timeline was also aware of the impossible events he used to deal with.

There were even aliens in this timeline, like that Supergirl person he met previously on another Earth.

Barry had found an abandoned site where he could set up a cell with inhibitors to disable his powers so Thawne wouldn't be able to escape.

Just to let him suffer, Barry would leave him there for a week without any visitation just because he could. He would be all right. Humans could survive months without food, even a speedster who wouldn't be running anytime soon.

As soon as that was all cleared up, he needed to find where he lived. Barry supposes he could live with his parents for the time. It was the entire reason he changed events. To be able to get his parents back after losing them. He just hopes they're still in the same house.

Rushing to his parent's house, Barry slowly walks up the stairs to knock on the door.

When the door opens, it reveals the couple that he dreamed about for the past decade and a half.

"Barry!" his mother shouts. "This is a surprise. What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't find time out of your busy schedule to see us anytime soon."

Barry just shrugs. He had no idea what they're talking about. A smile is stuck on his face as he looks at them. "I just really wanted to see you two. I hope you don't mind I just showed up,"

"Nonsense Barry," his father piped up. "This will always be your home. Never forget that. Your mother and I love having you over. Come in,"

Henry ushered his son into the house. "You're just in time. We were about to have dinner. You can join us. Your mother made plenty,"

"Smells delicious," Barry compliments her.

The three of them sat down at the table and began to eat. "So Barry, what have you been up to? Is everything okay at the hospital?"

Hospital? He worked in a hospital? Barry thought he would've continued to be a CSI, but he supposes a career change wasn't that much of a stretch. His entire inspiration to go into crime was due to his mother's murder and father's wrongful incarceration. Obviously that didn't happen here, so he would've gone into something else.

It looked as though he'd followed in his father's footsteps to become a doctor. Or maybe he was a nurse. He'd have to look into it.

"The hospital is fine," Barry nodded his head. He had to steer the conversation to something else. Something he actually could talk about. "Can we not talk about work? It's just…"

"No, we understand. Don't want to bring work home with you," Henry nodded to his son. "We get it. It's just that it's been a little while since we've seen you. We're just not sure what's going on in your life,"

"I'm your son. You can ask me anything, I promise," Barry said.

"Well is there anyone in your life?" Nora asked. "I know we'd both love to know if there is a person you've taken a little interest in,"

"I'm not seeing anyone right now," At least he hopes not. That would be awkward. "I'm not looking for a relationship at the moment."

"Okay, but is there someone you have your eye on?" Nora asked her child with wide eyes, both hopeful and resigned at the same time.

"No one that comes to mind," Barry shook his head. Of course at that moment his brain conjured an image of Caitlin Snow. He mentally shook his head at the picture. He hated her. He told it to her straight to her face before he left her. But that Caitlin was gone now. A new one had taken her place. One that was destined to become his future wife.

But that was all in the past. This new timeline was a fresh start for him. He'd just have to catch up on what his life had turned out to become.

A knock on the door interrupted any further investigation.

"I'll get it," Henry said, getting up from the table to answer the door.

Curiosity peaked in the mother and son and they both tilted their head to view the front door.

Henry opened the door to show a pair of men wearing suits, looking very official. "Can I help you gentlemen?"

"We're here investigating a disturbance in the area." one of the men stated. The other one pulled out a tablet to display an image. The picture was Barry's lightning trail as he was running to his parent's house. "Have you seen anything like this?"

"What am I looking at? A lightning bolt?" Henry asked as he saw the picture.

"We believe it to be a living bolt of lightning. We've had reports stating it's been travelling through the streets as though it were a living entity,"

"Have you seen something like this in the area? It's last location was somewhere around here." the official stated. "Before you answer I would like to remind you that in accordance with the 'Transcendence Act' created by President Lex Luthor, a transcendent being is to be listed with the government. Anyone found guilty of this, or anyone in association with the transcendent being and fully aware of the fact will face grave punishments."

"I've just been having dinner with my wife and son. I haven't seen a lightning bolt traversing the streets. Sorry to disappoint you gentlemen." Henry replied.

"If you see anything, please be sure to notify us. Here is our card," The officials handed Henry a business card before they both left to talk to the next people on the street.

"Sorry about that," Henry said as he rejoined the dinner table, "where were we?"

But at that point, Barry had stopped paying attention. This timeline was drastically different, and not just in a personal way. It was now illegal to be a 'transcendent being' without being registered. And the president was a completely different person.

Barry needed to find out what happened to the timeline, and fast.

* * *

"Oliver?! Oliver, are you here?!" Barry yelled out at the empty base. "God, what happened here?" He silently muttered to himself.

The Arrowcave was full of vines and there was only a limited source of light coming from outside. There are bottles of beers and shards of glasses everywhere and a picture of Oliver and his father together.

"Hey Oliver, I need your help!"

"Who are you?! What are you doing here?!" A familiar voice yelled out from behind him, stepping out of the shadows.

"Oliver it's…" Barry trailed off as he saw the figure approaching him. This man was not Oliver Queen. He was much older for one. This must be Robert Queen, Oliver's father. If Robert was still alive, then what happened to Oliver?

"Oliver died 12 years ago." Robert pulled out an arrow from his quiver and struck it at Barry's knee. "You still have one knee left, you better tell me who you are and how you know Oliver."

"Oh my god, if Oliver is dead then that means he was the one who died in that boat and you survived, his father survived, you're Robert Queen."

"Say that name one more time and you'll get an arrow straight through your other knee." The vigilante grumbled, pressing the arrow against the other knee, drawing a small amount of blood.

"Wait wait wait! I'm a friend of your son, my name is Barry Allen."

"I don't know any Barry Allen, and my son certainly didn't either. He's dead. You're lying," Robert growled, the arrowhead piercing into Barry's flesh.

"I did. I swear I did. I've talked to him. I know him. We're friends. When Oliver was first going out with Laurel Lance, Oliver confided with you. He said, 'I really like Laurel dad, but she deserves more than a college dropout.' You replied, 'It's not whether you think you're worth her time…'"

"'It's whether she thinks you're worth her time.'" Robert finished, remembering that night. Finally, Robert released the pressure he was applying on Barry's leg. "How is this possible?"

"I told you. I know Oliver. I've talked to him," Barry answered. He pulled the arrow out of his knee, and steadily pulled himself up.

"You might want to-" Robert cut off as he noticed what was happening with the wound. The hole was already closed when there had just been a piece of metal sticking out of it. The only trace he was ever injured was the blood and the hole in his pants. There wasn't even a scar.

"You're… You're a transcendent." Robert gasped at the realization.

"That's what you would call me," Barry nodded his head in confirmation.

"You have accelerated healing. What else? You said you talked with my son. Necromancy? You can speak to the dead?" Robert guessed.

"Not after they've died." Barry shook his head. "I'm a time traveller,"

Robert snorted. "Why does that not surprise me anymore? Lately, it seems a new transcendent with a new quirk comes along every week. Why did you come here?"

"I was hoping I could talk to Oliver. He usually always had good advice and information. I hadn't realized he'd died,"

"Time travel is a bitch," Robert announced. "Too many complicated theories, and nothing to test them. Not until now at least. I'm guessing Oliver was alive before?"

Barry nodded his head solemnly.

"That's good to know," Robert nodded his head.

Barry looked at him with a confused expression. "You're not angry? You're not asking me to bring him back or something?" This was usually when people would demand him to bring their loved ones back from the dead.

"I've made my peace with it. Frankly, it's nice to know that somewhere out there, my son is able to have a peaceful life without all this weighing him down," Robert gestured all around him.

Barry didn't have the heart to tell him that if Oliver were to live, he would go down the same path as his father would. So he just nodded his head noncommittally.

"Hey, what kind of host would I be if I were to let you leave without anything? I could give you some answers if you're looking for some. Lay them on me kid," Robert sat down on a desk behind him, ready for the potential onslaught of questions.

"When I came back, things were different. History had changed. Where I come from, there is no 'Transcendence Act'. And I've never even heard of Lex Luthor until I came here," Barry explained.

"Well it really started a couple years ago. An alien superhero, Superman, had been killed after a particle accelerator explosion. With the golden hero dead, people were desperate. Luthor stepped up to the plate, and soon he was president. His first act was to stamp out the anonymity of superheroes. He couldn't do anything about vigilantes like me, but those with powers, he forced their hand. Register or face the consequences. Even those who were simply trying to get by with their lives weren't safe."

"Why are we called transcendent? Back in my timeline, we called ourselves metahumans," Barry asked.

"The term was first coined with the appearance of aliens. Beings out of this world possessing powers mankind had never seen before. It wasn't soon after that people started exhibiting powers of their own. Nobody is sure what started it though. A couple dark matter explosions didn't exactly help with pinpointing a specific time these things started happening. It wasn't hard to think of them as angelic. Transcendent beings that soon became shortened to transcendent."

"This is all so confusing," Barry said, trying to process all of this information at once.

"It can take some getting used to. The question is, what are you going to do?" Robert asked.

"Well, this is what I wanted. Sure, things are different, but it's not a bad thing. I can be happy with this," Barry replied.

"Well, if you're going to keep living with us, stop using your powers or get registered. Either way, get out of here,"

* * *

A couple months flew by and Barry was starting to get in the swing of things. His new career meant needing to do some light reading, but he'd called in sick to the hospital so he could have a day to learn everything he'd need.

Barry obviously couldn't go back to school, but he still had his notes and medical books from this timeline. With his speed, he was able to read through all of them in a day.

Within a few hours, he'd combed through everything from his college days and going over the reports he'd had at his apartment. He needed to re familiarize himself with his patients.

With breaks for food and the restroom, Barry had a firm grasp on everything he was doing at the hospital. He had regular visits from a couple patients. Other than that, it seemed he was mostly occupied with the paperwork.

If only his social life was so easily obtained again. A quick search on the internet showed that this Barry didn't have much of a social life. His last social media post was a couple years ago. So he had no idea what he was up to recently.

Barry didn't seem to have a girlfriend, which he was thankful for. That was one less awkward conversation he needed to have.

When he came into the hospital the next day, he tried to act natural, but this just wasn't what he was used to. He was used to looking at disgusting things, but those were usually from the dead. Now he was operating on the living. And there were even more disgusting things to look at.

He'd had a string of patients all day. Some were just for common things. Headaches, superficial wounds. There were a couple heart problems and even a broken arm.

The entire day, his body worked on autopilot, which was fine. It managed to get him through the day. The motions he was making were so familiar, yet different. There was a distinction between the dead and the living and it showed.

And there was a lot more paperwork. He had no idea how his previous self managed to get through the day without super speed.

And speaking of that, he had no idea what happened to him. When Barry changed the past, he should have disappeared without a trace, because this version shouldn't have existed at all. There should only have been the version that had grown up in this timeline, but that version was gone without a trace.

Whenever Barry wasn't busy, he just kept thinking of anything that would occupy his mind. Robert Queen was right. Time travel was a bitch.

There were so many things he didn't understand. Whenever he'd traveled back in time before, any previous version disappeared into their own timeline, allowing him to continue with his life in this new timeline.

When he'd gone back in time that night, there were four versions of him that night. His child self, his future self, the one that had planned to save his mother but didn't, and now him.

Based on previous experience, all of them should have gone off on their own timelines when they showed up. But they didn't. His child self could be explained. Without him, none of the others from the future would exist. He was the root of their existence.

But the other three of them shouldn't have been able to exist at the same time. Their timelines were too different. The original future version was the first to disappear. It could be since he was so far in the future, he was most vulnerable to the changes of the past. But that point in time was so fundamental to them, the moment the other versions made their appearance should have driven him off to his own timeline. And then he disappeared when their mother was murdered, the exact point in time when it became clear his future had ceased to exist.

But if that was true, where was he? And for that matter, why was he here? When he saved Nora, he should have disappeared as well with his previous self that had wanted to save her but didn't. Barry saw his past self vanish before his eyes, and that should mean he should have vanished as well. Ceased to exist.

This version of himself may have been the one to change the timeline, but he shouldn't exist in the first place.

Then Barry remembers Eobard Thawne. When Thawne murdered his mother, he changed the timeline where Barry wouldn't become The Flash. Without The Flash, that version of Eobard ceased to exist. But he was still there. Albeit, his speed was mostly gone, but still there.

And that begged the question of why Barry was still able to harness The Speed Force. By all means, the same thing should be happening to him. Barry shouldn't be able to hold onto his speed so easily. Were the effects just not catching up to him? Were the Time Wraiths after him to correct this mistake in the timeline?

But after months of his repeated existence, there was no change. It wasn't like with Thawne. He wasn't hiding. He was still going by his own name and face. The Speed Force should be able to tell that there was an extra speedster that shouldn't exist. His time there had revealed that The Speed Force could see through his eyes. They knew he was here. They just weren't doing anything about it.

Maybe that was the problem. Barry was still here, because The Speed Force wanted him here. Maybe this was a reward of some kind.

Or this was some kind of mistake on their part. A delay in their response. He wasn't posing a threat to the timeline. Not anymore at least. Maybe there were other more important dangers that he wasn't aware of that The Speed Force needed focus on rather than him.

That made as much sense as he could make it.

* * *

"You can do it. You can do it. Just talk to her." He looked at his watch and saw that she was late. "Come on come on come on."

The door opened and a familiar african-american woman walked in with a smile, it was the face Barry grew up with. It was Iris.

Iris smiled at everyone as she walked towards the counter with her phone in hand. She even smiled at Barry as she passed by him while he just stared at her with his mouth slightly agape.

Now that he had a fresh start on his life, he decided to see if there were any hope of rekindling any romance between himself and Iris. In this timeline, they didn't grow up together. They weren't as close, so that didn't give them a sibling bond. It meant there were no pre-existing feelings that might get in the way between them.

He got up from the chair and gathered up all the courage he can get to talk to her. He was about two steps from reaching Iris before someone else bumped into him, spilling their coffee all over him.

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."

Barry furiously dabbed at the stain, trying to get as much of the scalding liquid off of him. The burns would heal within seconds, but they always left an itchy feeling behind that he just couldn't get at the right place.

"It's fine. It's fine, it's a little hot, but I'll manage," Barry said. He looked to see who was the one to bump into him. Imagine his surprise when he looks into the face of Caitlin Snow.

"Still, it was my fault. I totally ruined your shirt. I promise, I'm going to pay you back to get this cleaned up, or to buy you an entirely new one. I am so sorry," Caitlin assisted in helping him wipe off as much of the coffee before it could stain.

"It's okay. I should have been paying attention to where I was going. You're not entirely at fault," Barry had forgotten about Iris entirely at that point and focused all of his attention on the pale brunette. He gripped her hands to stop her from making the stain any worse than it already was. When they touched, Barry would swear he felt something between them, or maybe it was just his powers.

Caitlin looked up at him and within moments, her eyes widened in shock. She blinked a few times, and Barry almost thought her cheeks were tinted with a hint of pink. "I'm Caitlin. Dr. Caitlin Snow,"

"Well doctor, I'm Dr. Barry Allen. I work over at the Central City hospital. I'm on my lunch break, but it seems I'm going to need to run home to get a change of clothes,"

Caitlin nervously laughed at the handsome man. "Well, I'm not really a doctor. I'm actually an ophthalmologist,"

"An eye doctor?" Barry asked.

"A pediatric eye doctor," Caitlin smiled at him. Most people wouldn't have even known what she was talking about. And even when she told them she specialized in eye care, they would automatically assume she was an optometrist, which was a huge difference to what she actually does.

Barry all the while was trying very hard to get on the right foot with Caitlin. Their introduction left something to be desired, with her showering him with scorching fluids, but he could work with this. He wanted to be friends with Caitlin.

"What hospital do you work at? I don't see you at Central City hospital."

"I work out of a private clinic. It's called Optic Construction. Actually here's my number," Caitlin pulled out a business card with her name on it as well as a number on it. "That's actually my personal number so you can get in contact with me directly. You know, when you need me to pay you back for your shirt,"

"Right, of course," Barry nodded his head, "just to pay me back for my shirt."

"Or you could call me for any reason at all. Maybe so we could catch a movie or grab a drink. It could be any drink. It doesn't necessarily have to be alcoholic." Caitlin was rambling. Honestly, when it wasn't rage infilled, it was astoundingly cute.

"You don't do this often do you?" Barry chuckled at her obvious nervousness.

"No," Caitlin admitted. "Yet here I am doing this. I can't believe I'm doing this. Why am I doing this? You're probably seeing somebody,"

Barry thought back to a few moments ago when he was about to do something, but now he couldn't seem to remember. He was heading to the counter. Maybe he was about to order something? It seemed important at the time. But now he honestly couldn't care less about what he was doing before. Barry decided to be truthful. "I'm not seeing anyone at the moment. And I'll definitely be calling you."

"You will?" Caitlin's face brightened up at the mention that he would be calling her at some time.

"You know, for the shirt," Barry reminded her, gesturing to the brown coffee stain that was now stuck on his clothes.

"Right, of course," Caitlin's face fell at that. He wasn't actually going to call her for intimate reasons.

"And maybe I'll take you up on that offer for a drink. It doesn't have to be alcoholic though," Barry repeated the words she spoke back to her.

"I'll be waiting," Caitlin breathed out with a smile plastered on her face that they were going on some form of a date.

"I should really run though. I need to get myself a new shirt before heading back to the hospital," Barry said, backing to the exit of the building.

"Oh, of course. Don't let me keep you waiting," Caitlin waved him goodbye as Barry left through the door and rushed back to his apartment to get himself a new shirt for the day.

* * *

**Well hope you all enjoyed that. We still have more to see of this brave new world. The consequences and the eventual time travel back to the original timeline. But I'm going to make the reason for that much more important. I didn't like how the show ended Flashpoint. It was so upsetting. Tell me what you thought, any questions you may have. I'm always happy to respond.**

**I'll see you all next week.**


	33. Fading Fast

**Welcome to the second part of Flashpoint. I hope you're all enjoying it. Next week will conclude our time travel escapade, but until then, you have this to enjoy. My co-authors deserve some credit, Brightburn1985 and ThomasMarieAmell2.0.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash.**

* * *

Barry often visited his parents during the days. After not having them for most of his life, he tried to spend as much time with them as possible. It also helped that spending more time with them caused his memories from this new timeline to catch up with him.

But he can't seem to quite recall his other life, the old one, one where he's The Flash. There were only flashes of memories before they were gone, replaced by memories of every birthday party, every first day of school, every time he saw his parents alive. What is happening to him?

There were times when Barry was desperately trying to cling onto the memories of his past life. All the things that made him who he was today. But there were other times when he questioned this decision. He chose to erase that life. Make it so it never happened. His memories were just a remnant that would eventually disappear as well.

Barry was at a crossroads of what to do. Whether to jot down all the things he could remember or to leave it be. This timeline is what is real now. His past was something to be corrected. Maybe this is why the Time Wraiths weren't going after him. Because he was being corrected.

Barry was having lunch at his parent's house, contemplating what to do. Whether to leave his past behind, or try to hold on to it.

"Barry," his father called for him, "are you still with us?"

"Huh? Yeah, yeah I heard you," Barry lied.

"What did I say?" Henry asked.

Barry tried to recall the background noise that was his father's voice, trying to pick out anything discerning. "You wanted to go apartment hunting with me because you think my current apartment's gotten too small,"

"I'm glad you were listening. So, what do you think? Your mother could find a few good places and with your salary, money isn't an issue," Henry suggested.

"I'll definitely think about it," Barry said ambiguously to avoid further discussion on the topic. He honestly didn't see what was the problem with his current apartment. He liked it. It was close to the hospital and to Jitters. There was enough space. Maybe not as much as others, but he was never feeling cramped.

"I'm fine with my current one though, why would I need to buy another one?" Barry asked.

"Well, you're still a growing boy. You need your space. I'm sure you can find another place even better than this one," Nora told him.

"Believe me, I'm fine with my apartment. It's close to the hospital and to Jitters."

"Okay," Nora put her hands up in surrender. "If you don't want to find a new place, that's fine. Just know the option is always open if you decide differently."

"So Slugger, do you have anyone in mind right now?"

"What do you mean?" Barry asked, slightly confused but having a vague idea what he was talking about.

"He means that if you already have a girl that you like. You know, like a girlfriend." Nora said. "Or a boyfriend. If you're gay that's just fine with us,"

"No, I'm not gay. And I will have you know that I met someone the other day at Jitters. I'm thinking about giving her a call sometime." Barry told them.

"Is it that Iris girl that you've been stalking for quite some time?" Nora asked her son.

"I have not been stalking anyone." Barry slightly raised his voice at his parents. He suddenly remembered what he was doing that day. "And no, it's not Iris. It's a woman named Caitlin Snow. She bumped into me and we started talking. Next thing I know, I have her number in my hand,"

"So why haven't you called her? A girl gives you the time of the day and you leave her hanging?" Henry said with his wife nodding along.

Barry grunted in frustration. "To be honest, I'm a little scared. I don't even know this woman. How do I know if she's going to be the right one for me?"

This wasn't entirely true. He knew Caitlin Snow from the previous timeline, and he knew if things were to progress correctly, he would end up getting married to Caitlin in the future. But he didn't want these things to dictate how he would be living his life from now on. He could make his own decisions. Not follow what he thought was what he was supposed to do.

"That's simple, Slugger. You won't know if she is the right one, you just need to take a leap of faith. Love is complicated, if it's simple then we would go on with our lives without wanting it. Just trust that everything will turn out fine."

"I just don't know dad," Barry shook his head. "This girl… there are things about her that I just don't know if I can feel comfortable with." Barry tried to say that he didn't really have a good feeling with this version of Caitlin considering how he left things with Caitlin from his original timeline. He honestly regretted how he left things. After having spent the past few months calming down, and spending time with the parents he'd unfairly lost. He didn't mean any of the things he'd said and the guilt was weighing on him. But what was he to do? That timeline didn't exist anymore. The Caitlin he'd screamed hatred toward no longer existed. He wished he could offer his apologies, but that was just not an option.

He said he hated her. That he hated the very sight of her. It was true at the time, but now after all these months, he could see he was just acting out in anger. But the memory still left a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. And it just intensified when he remembers that he'll never get the chance to apologize for his hurtful words.

"That's the beauty of it my beautiful boy," Nora said to her child, interrupting his train of thought. "If you just give her a chance, then you'll be able to see for yourself if you can see a life with her. And I'll save you time figuring it out right now. She's not perfect. Nobody is. She's gonna have her quirks. Things you don't like about her. But then you're going to grow to love her for those little things because that's what makes her unique. That's the good stuff in a relationship. And those are the things you're gonna remember her most for."

"Yeah…" Barry trailed off, trying hard to remember every single memory of Caitlin; their fights, her face, her smile that lights up the room, the worried looks she gives him every time he goes out in the field when she thinks he isn't looking, the tears in her eyes when he lashed out on her. Every single bit of his memory with Caitlin, he cherished them the most. "Yeah, maybe I'll call her later."

"That's great!" Nora clapped her hands excitedly. "How is it going at the hospital? I heard from the news that CCPD is searching for the streak over there since the Transcendent is often seen around there, have you seen it?"

Barry inwardly cringed. He tried to avoid using his powers too often seeing as he was an illegal Transcendent, but sometimes he fell back into old habits. "Everything is fine. The streak hasn't been doing anything and it usually shows up during my lunch breaks,"

"Well, I don't want you to get caught up in all that. It's dangerous, these Transcendents. If you see one, run and contact the police. Let them handle it. It's their job after all." Henry said to his son.

It was times like this that Barry knew he couldn't tell his parents his secret. They were very much against the idea of having powers, that he didn't know how they would react if he finally did tell them. Which is one of the reasons why he wasn't going to register. That would be an admittance seeing as the list was of public domain. And it wouldn't just be his parents who would know. He just needed to do a better job of hiding his powers. He needed to stop using them, but the Speed Force within him called to be used. He would have to find a way to satiate his need for speed and hide his true nature to those around him.

* * *

Barry ended up calling Caitlin the next day to set up a place where they could meet to have their lunch date. They both decided to meet up at Big Belly Burger. It was familiar to both of them and they both loved the menu selection.

Caitlin was already waiting for him outside of the shop when Barry arrived.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I kept you waiting," Barry apologized. He was technically late after all.

"No worries. You're only late by 5 minutes. No big deal. Let's just go in," Caitlin smiled at him.

Once they got their orders, they sat down in a booth and started eating. "I'll be honest, I was pleasantly surprised when you decided to give me a call for a lunch date," Caitlin said.

"Why were you? You're nice, pretty, and have a good sense of humour. Plus I have this feeling like I've known you forever," Barry tells her.

"I had that feeling too. It's why I gave you my number in the first place. Like I said, I don't usually go out on dates, even casual ones like this." Caitlin admits, blushing lightly in embarrassment.

"Me neither. So you can imagine my surprise when I really wanted to see you again," Barry looks down at his burger to hide his red face.

"Let's figure it out together," Caitlin smiles at him and lightly grasps his hand. "So, care to tell me a little about yourself?"

"Well I told you before, I work as a doctor at the Central City Hospital. I went to John Hopkins to get my medical degree. My father is a doctor. I guess I wanted to follow in his footsteps." Barry tells her.

"That's nice. My father was a doctor, along with my mother. He died though. ALS." Caitlin reveals.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine what it must have been like to see your father like that," Barry says, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"Thank you. It's never been the same since he died. My mother was just lost without him. And I don't think she ever came back." Caitlin said. "Don't get me wrong, I love my mother. She took care of me all by herself and that couldn't have been easy, but she's just been distant ever since my father passed away. She kept herself busy with her work. And after some time, I think she forgot about me. That I still needed her too."

"Well it's her loss. She missed out on watching you grow up into the woman you've become," Barry consoled her.

"You don't even know me," Caitlin shook her head in dismay.

"But I'd like to. If you give me a chance, I'd like to know every bit about you," Barry said with a smile. "Every little quirk, every wish, every dream you make. I want to know it all."

"You sure are a charmer Dr. Allen. God, here I am on a date with a great guy, and all I seem to be able to talk about is my dead father," Caitlin moaned to herself.

"I think it's great we've gotten all the heavy stuff out of the way. That just leaves us with getting to know all the best things about ourselves." Barry said.

"But you haven't said anything. I don't know your worst quality." Caitlin said. "Tell me, you already know mine. I have daddy issues and a distant mother. It's a wonder my life turned out as well as it did,"

"Alright, well if you insist." Barry leaned forward. "I'm an illegal transcendent that's hiding from the government." Barry whispered in a conspiratorial tone.

"Stop joking. Come on, I'm serious," Caitlin laughed, taking his confession as a joke.

"If we're being serious, then I'll say that this isn't the life I pictured me having." Barry said.

"What do you mean? It seems like you got your life planned out. You're a successful doctor, two loving parents. You grew up a normal life. How is this not the life you want for yourself?" Caitlin asked, utterly confused.

"I just mean, I don't know what I'm doing with my life. I do everything I'm supposed to, and I do it well. I'm proud of my work. I detected the early signs of cancer in a woman I met today and probably saved her life. I'm proud of that. I just think I'm not living up to my potential. Like I'm meant for greater things than just sitting behind a door, waiting for the next person to see if they need their prescription changed." Barry admitted. To be honest, Barry wasn't sure where these feelings were coming from. This was the life he'd always pictured for himself. Two normal parents, a good job. Why was he feeling like this wasn't enough?

"Everybody feels doubts." Caitlin shrugged. "It's okay to ponder how things could have turned out if you'd taken a different path. You're no different to the thousands of people who are making indecisions everyday of their lives. If you want my advice, stick to being a doctor. You're good at it, and if you want to pursue other options, you'll always have this to fall back on. It's a safety net,"

"Do you ever feel that way?" Barry asks.

"All the time. Sometimes I think I could have gone in a different direction with my education. How I could have reached out to my mother more. But that's all in the past. And I still see my mother every couple months. Things aren't perfect, but I like where I am right now,"

"I like the way you think Caitlin Snow. You want to get out of here?" Barry asks as he finishes his fries.

"I guess I'll just finish this at home," Caitlin packs up the rest of her food in a bag and throws out everything that she'd already eaten.

* * *

"This is really nice." Caitlin commented as they strolled around the park.

"Yeah, it kinda is." Barry nodded his head thoughtfully.

"So was there something you had in mind for us to do?" Caitlin asked.

"Just taking in the moment with you. It feels good to sometimes slow down and take a look around. It always feels like everything is in such a rush. Like there's not enough time in the world to decide what kind of paint you want for your kitchen." Barry chuckles at that. "I'm trying to say that there's beauty in the mundane and people are too busy to see what's right in front of them."

"Secret of life isn't it," Caitlin nodded along, "keeping things simple. People just make things so much more complicated than it needs to be."

"Yeah, I-" Barry was cut off by black vans skidding to a stop in front of them. It looked like a van that was driving around the hospital for a few days now.

Several people in black suits came rushing out of the vehicles. Each carrying a gun aimed at him. "Hands in the air! Put your hands in the air!" they all shouted.

Barry immediately put his hands above his head and Caitlin hastened to follow his lead. Other people around them also put their hands up.

"Bartholomew Allen?" one of them called his name.

Barry turned to them and nodded his head. "Yeah. What is this about?"

"Bartholomew Henry Allen, you are under arrest under the suspicion of being in violation of the Transcendence Act by being an unregistered transcendent being. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you." They said as they placed handcuffs on him and dragged him into one of the cars.

"You can't do this. I haven't done anything wrong!" Barry shouted.

* * *

"This is you, isn't it?" an officer placed a photo of a lightning bolt in front of him.

Barry glanced at it before looking away. He just had to keep quiet. They didn't have anything on him. They were holding him without any evidence, he'd be out within a few hours. He knew the process back when he was working at CCPD. They couldn't hold him with what they had.

"We know it's you. An anomaly appeared on our sensors a few months ago. We tracked it down to the street your parents live on. Officers report that you were in their house the night it appeared. Every incident we've had since has appeared within the vicinity of the hospital you work at. During your lunch breaks. That's too many coincidences for this to be a mistake,"

"Circumstantial evidence at best," Barry retorted. "You don't have anything on me."

"We've got plenty on you. See these boxes? All of them are filled with your files. We got enough to pin on you for a lifetime." The officer bluffed.

"Oh really? Show it to me. There isn't one piece of solid evidence you have in that box. If you did, I wouldn't be sitting in an interrogation room. I would already be locked up in a cell." Barry called them out on their bluff.

The officers left the room with the boxes in hand. They needed to come up with a new strategy to get Barry to confess. They could only hold him for a couple hours before they would be forced to release him. They needed a confession or else Barry would walk.

They tried several interrogation tactics on him. Turning down the temperature to make him feel nervous. Appealing to his want to help people. Offering him deals about protection along with his family. All of which had no effect on Barry.

"Well Barry, I'm surprised you lasted this long. Can I offer you a glass of water or something? You must be tired after us gruelling you for the better part of the day." An officer suggested.

"Yeah, thanks actually," Barry appreciated the gesture. He was getting very hungry seeing as he hadn't eaten anything since lunch. He was actually surprised he wasn't feeling more hungry. His appetite wasn't as large, but Barry could chalk that up to the fact he wasn't using his speed as much anymore, therefore he wasn't burning as many calories.

Barry drank the water eagerly. The hours seemed to be catching up to him as he felt the fatigue that the night brought.

When the cup was empty, the officer took it and placed it on a table behind him. "So let's keep talking."

"You're the one talking. I don't need to say anything to you people," Barry glared at him. "I was in the middle of a lunch date when you dragged me here for absolutely no reason."

"Well you have to see things from our perspective. We have a dangerous transcendent literally running around without a care for the world. Every time it shows up, you seem to be there all the time. Unless you have an explanation for that."

"What makes you think they're dangerous? They haven't done anything to endanger anyone," Barry pointed out.

"Yet. They haven't done anything yet. You don't know they won't which is why we like to keep track of these people. People like this can be capable of anything, so you can see why we like to have a report on these people before an occurrence happens."

"But they shouldn't have to. Transcendents shouldn't have to live their lives constantly being looked at with suspicion. With distrust from people who have no idea what they've been through,"

"You seem very passionate about this. Especially since you claim not to be one."

"Is it wrong to have an opinion on the matter? To think there's some injustice in the system?"

"No, it's not wrong. But that type of thinking can get you in trouble. In fact, most people feel safer since this act has been in place. But so far, the only people who argue are transcendents or those in close relations to transcendents. So which one are you?"

Barry chose not to answer that. Instead he fixed his gaze past the man in front of him. There was the one way glass which showed his reflection as well as the coffee table. But there was something wrong with it. Barry couldn't seem to place it. Everything seemed to be in place. All the cups were on a tray, upside down waiting to be filled. A couple packets of sweeteners. And a water dispenser.

But that was when Barry realized the problem. Everything was in place. Where the cup he had just drank from?

Barry tried to remember. Did the door open and another person come in while he was talking to this person in front of him? He vaguely recalled hearing the sound of the door clicking. They must have taken his cup. The cup with his saliva on it.

That wasn't good. That meant they could test it to see if his DNA was mutated in any way, indicating that he at least had the potential to have powers.

And he couldn't argue against it. He couldn't even protest against the stolen DNA since it could be seen that he'd willingly gave it by handing the cup to the officer in front of him.

That fear of being found out kept him paralyzed for the rest of his time here. By now, they would realize that he was an unregistered transcendent. They would be demanding him to report his powers and do some time for withholding the information from them for so long. Who knew what else they could pin on him?

A woman burst through the door with a folder in hand. This was it. Barry had been found out.

"He's not the guy. DNA tests show no sign of any irregularities. No way he could be a transcendent."

What? How was that possible? The Speed Force was within every fibre of his DNA. It should have shown up on the tests.

"Let me see those," the man held his hand out for the folder that the woman handed to him.

The officer looked at the tests to see if there could be any indicator that they made a mistake, but he was forced to relent. He placed the folder on the table where Barry could get a quick look at. It was upside down, but Barry was able to quickly discern what was on it.

What he saw troubled him. Because what he saw was completely normal. There was no trace of his mutation. That shouldn't be possible.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience Dr. Allen. And that we've taken your DNA without your knowledge. You're free to go," the officer sighed in frustration and resignation as Barry stood up to leave the room. A confused expression etched on his face.

* * *

Barry's return to society was a haze. His parents had picked him up and brought him back to their place. All the time, his thoughts were occupied with the fact that his DNA was no longer mutated. Or at least, it didn't appear that way.

But that didn't make any sense. Barry still had his powers. His DNA was still mutated. But he saw the tests in the folder, even if it was only for a little while. Everything was normal. His DNA aligned with his previous records, which were taken before Barry arrived in this timeline. And Barry had gone over those records meticulously. This Barry was not a meta, or transcendent as they called them. And Barry entirely lacked the foreknowledge to replace his previous records with his mutated DNA so no one would be the wiser if they were to test him.

There was a chance that they would recognize the part of his DNA that showed he had the potential to bear powers, but people are always willing to believe what they're shown. As long as his DNA matched, Barry stood to believe no one would look deeper.

But still, his DNA did match. For some reason, his saliva lacked any of his mutant DNA. That didn't make sense though. Mutations don't work that way.

When Barry was alone, he decided to test himself. He raised his hand and tried to vibrate it.

The results shocked him.

His speed was cutting in and out. Turning on and off like a machine on the fritz. He was losing his powers. What could be the cause?

The answer came to him as soon as he asked. The timeline. This new timeline was finally catching up with him. This Barry didn't have powers, yet somehow he did. Time was trying to correct this by getting rid of Barry's powers similar to how his memories were slowly being erased and replaced with new ones.

This was why Eobard could remain under the cover for over a decade. His powers worked similarly to this. He couldn't access it as easily. He said so himself. And now it was happening to Barry. His speed would disappear.

Barry wasn't sure how he felt about that. His speed had become a part of his for so long now, it felt wrong for him to no longer have it, but then he remembered that he wasn't supposed to have speed. And if he was correct, he would eventually lose all memories of having speed in the first place.

It was a decision between holding onto the past, or moving forward with his life. This new life where he had everything he could ever want. Barry decided to go to the one person who might have answers.

* * *

**So the timeline is catching up to Barry, not just with his memories, but with his biology as well. I never understood why Barry managed to hold on to his speed in the show so seamlessly since he would never have gotten his powers at all in Flashpoint, so I based it a little on Eobard, how he claimed he only sometimes had his speed, since without The Flash, he would never gain his speed in the first place as well.**

**Not only that, but Barry is slowly reverting to Flashpoint Barry if you caught that conversation he had with Caitlin. And speaking of that, I'm sorry their date got cut short. I honestly don't know why that was done, but I think I made it work.**

**I'll see you all next week for the finale of Flashpoint, and we'll be back to our regular timeline.**


	34. Restoration

**So this is the final part of Flashpoint. It was a fun journey, but it had to come to an end at some point. Hope you all enjoy. The people who contributed to this are Brightburn1985 and ThomasMarieAmell2.0.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash**

* * *

Barry arrived at the warehouse where he had imprisoned the Reverse Flash. His speed was shaky, cutting off at unexpected times, so he had no choice but to drive there. He couldn't risk government officials seeing him use his powers, especially since he now knew they were keeping an eye on him.

The area was abandoned, so there were no people around, and Barry could only pray that there were cameras documenting his suspicious behaviour. He didn't need these people to get more suspicious.

"Flash, you've returned. Have you brought anything to eat? I'm starving," Eobard called to him.

Barry pulled out a bag of Big Belly Burger and pushed it through the slot. "You know, human beings can survive up to weeks without food, so I'd be a little more appreciative if I were you,"

"Is that how long you intend to keep me in here?" Eobard asked. "By the way, are there pickles in here? I hate pickles,"

"I have questions," Barry blurted out.

"And you want me to answer them? What do I get out of it?" Eobard asked.

"I'll get you more food. Any requests you make," Barry offered.

"I want a steak. We're out of cows where I come from. Never tasted a steak before," Eobard immediately asked.

"Now that we have that established, I want to know more about the timeline," Barry asked.

"Ah yes. And what shall we call this brave new world you created? I was thinking 'Flashpoint'. What do you think?"

"You can call it whatever you want, I have questions. My memories. I'm gaining ones I know I've never had and can't recall some of the things from my previous life. Whenever I try to think of them, I just get headaches."

"That's just the timeline catching up to you. The life you lived never existed, so why should you retain memories of a life you never lived? The headaches are just pains of you trying to reach something that's no longer there. There's no word for it, but I like to call them time shocks."

"This whole world. There are things that happened that never did before. Things that wouldn't have changed if my mother survived that night. It wouldn't have affected all of this," Barry told him.

"Time boom. Break the sound barrier, you create a sonic boom. You broke the time barrier Flash. Time boom. Ripples of distortion radiated from that point of impact. Tiny events that have altered throughout the timeline changing things just enough to make a big difference." Thawne smirked.

"What about my speed? It's leaving me. It comes and goes and I can't control it." Barry informed him.

Eobard just laughed. "I was wondering when it was going to happen. Another repercussion. You never gained your speed in this timeline. But the Speed Force exists beyond space and time. It'll be the last thing to leave you before you become completely assimilated into this timeline."

"Why hasn't it happened to you yet?" Barry asked. Being from so far into the future, he should've been the one most affected by the changes in the timeline.

"I don't know. It'll happen eventually. The best answer I have is that I'm stuck here. The more you use your speed, the faster you lose your memories."

"Is there any way to stop this?" Barry asked.

"You can't stop time. You can change it, try to avoid it for as long as you can, but it'll always catch you in the end. If you want to stop what's happening to you, you know what you need to do."

"That's never going to happen," Barry shook his head.

"If you don't we're both going down, and I'll make sure you suffer for an eternity for that," Eobard threatened him.

"I'm happy here. My parents are alive. I've lived a normal life. I don't even need to be The Flash since being a metahuman is illegal unless you register with the government."

"You know, the you that I know, the one from the future, he isn't this stupid. There are going to be consequences for what you've done, and you can't do anything to stop that. You think this timeline is better? There is no better. Things are supposed to happen for a reason, and if they don't, time makes sure it corrects that mistake."

"I've been living in this timeline for months, and I haven't even seen the glimpse of a Time Wraith," Barry reported.

"I guarantee you'll be begging for Time Wraiths when it's all over,"

* * *

Barry tried to push the thoughts of the conversation with Thawne to the back of his mind. There was no reason to worry. He couldn't take Thawne's words with a grain of salt. For all he knows, this was just a way to keep his timeline intact, because if Barry never becomes The Flash, Thawne would never gain his speed either. This was all just for his self-preservation.

As the days went by, the time shocks became more painful. His brain was reaching for memories that shouldn't exist anymore. It was being pulled from one direction to the other. Whether he should know this, or that. If this happened, or the other. It was totally tiresome. He could never seem to keep his facts straight.

Things with Caitlin were progressing well. They talked almost constantly and met each other whenever their schedules allowed it. But there were times when he looked at her that he was given a different image than what was actually in front of him. Caitlin with a face filled with rage. Shouting things that he couldn't make out. But then it was over and he was back to seeing his Caitlin.

But then it all went down on one fateful day. The day started normal. Barry was at work, on time for once, and was looking over a couple documents when he felt it.

With his speed disappearing, it had become erratic. He couldn't control it anymore and sometimes it showed up at random times. He'd been able to keep them down for the most part to remain undetected, but this one came so unexpectedly that he had no time to try to contain it.

Barry's body lit up with the lightning crawling over his body and he unwittingly lunged forward in a momentary lapse of control. Barry theorised that these surges happened, because his Speed Force was desperately trying to cling to him, despite that it would inevitably slip away. But the more it was used, the faster it would vanish.

It didn't matter anymore as his body sprinted around the hospital and out the door into the streets. He should've known that keeping his powers bottled up, even if it was disappearing, would never be a good thing.

Barry tried desperately to reel in his powers but they were just too wild to control anymore. Finally his speed cut off and he was launched forward by his momentum and left sprawled on the ground.

The streets were filled with people looking at him. Some had their phones out taking pictures or recording him. The lampposts all had cameras. This was a highly public area that he just got his powers exposed to.

Knowing that those officials would be arriving soon, Barry tried to get his powers together as quickly as he could and he took off.

He was dramatically slower. Whether by choice or not, it wasn't helping him. His speed shut off a few times, but he was able to keep going. There was only one destination in mind.

Barry stumbled on his parent's porch and knocked urgently on the door.

Barry kept a look around. Those people wouldn't take long to catch up to him. He needed a plan and fast to figure out how to get out of this situation. The entire world had figured out he was a transcendent. There was no place he could hide. He'd have to get out of the country at the least. President Luthor wouldn't be able to get to him there.

The door opened to show Caitlin. Barry was confused. What on Earth was she doing here? Did he accidentally go to her place instead? No, this was a house and Caitlin lived in an apartment.

"Caitlin, what are you doing here?" Barry asked.

"I'm just visiting your parents. We talked about this. I thought it was time for me to get to know them, especially since they live so close by. What are you doing here? Don't you still have work?" Caitlin answered.

"No time to explain, I have to talk to my parents." Barry pushed past her and entered the house.

Barry went into the living room and saw his parents on the couch, most likely talking to Caitlin in here. "Barry! What are you doing here so early?"

"I have to be honest with you guys." Barry addressed all three of them. "I've been lying to you for these past few months. But first, I just want you to know that these months have been the best months I've ever lived through,"

"Barry you're starting to scare us," Nora said fearfully for her son.

"I'm not your son. Or at least, I wasn't. I'm not the Barry you know. 17 years ago, something happened in this room. A ball of red and yellow lightning. There was a man, and he was going to stab you mom. But someone else stopped him. That was me. I went back in time and stopped him from killing you and now I've been living in this new reality." Barry told them the truth with tears welling up in his eyes.

Nora shook her head in denial. "No, no that couldn't have been you, because if it was then that would have to mean…"

"I'm a transcendent. I have powers." Barry confirmed her fears. "But today, I lost control of my powers and I got exposed. People are going to be coming for me now and I need to leave,"

"No, see that's not possible, because you were questioned about this just a few weeks ago. They even took a DNA sample. You didn't have powers." Henry denied.

"My powers were disappearing, but none of that matters anymore because people have seen me. People know about my powers. I just came to get some things and say goodbye,"

"Barry you don't have to go, maybe-maybe they didn't see your face. Maybe if you just pretend like it's normal they won't come." Nora said, still in denial.

"I can't take that risk. I care about you guys too much to put you in danger when people out there know what I am," Barry said.

"Then just register with the government. If you do, then it'll be legal. You won't have to hide anymore," Henry pointed out.

"I'm not going to degrade myself by doing that. That would say that I'm less than a human. To not have the right to my own secrets. To have to publicize my abnormality when I just wanted to live a normal life. But now I know that will never happen. I was never meant to have lived a normal life,"

"Well normal is overrated Barry," Caitlin said. "You were right. You were always meant for greater things. And you were an idiot if you thought you could just leave it all behind."

"I'm so sorry I dragged you into this. You didn't deserve this," Barry said to Caitlin.

"Don't be. I'm glad I got to know you. I would rather have gotten to know you these past few weeks, than spend an eternity never knowing you. You've given me something that no one else ever has. A partner who understands me in so many ways. I love you Barry Allen."

Barry sighed in happiness. "I love you too, which is why I'm sorry I have to do this." He said before pulling her to him for a kiss.

Barry didn't give her time to react before pulling away from her.

Suddenly the front door burst open and several people in combat gear stormed the house. "Barry Allen! Put your hands above your head. You are under arrest for being an illegal transcendent. Give yourself up quietly."

"Please, you don't need to do this. Just let me leave. I'll be out of the country in seconds. You'll never hear from me again," Barry pleaded.

"There will be no negotiations. Step toward us calmly and we will not shoot."

"No! My family shouldn't be involved in this. I never told them about my powers. They didn't know!"

"Calmly step forward and we will not shoot."

"Alright," Barry nodded, "I'm coming forward. Just don't shoot."

"Barry…" Nora whispered.

"Step away from the transcendent ma'am. He is a danger to your family."

"That's my son you're talking about! He isn't a danger to anyone. All he wants is to help people. You shouldn't have to lock him up just because he kept a few secrets from you."

"Ma'am, step back from the transcendent before we are forced to take action." The soldier said, pointing the gun towards Nora.

"Mom, don't come any closer. It's over. But everything is going to be okay. I promi-" Barry was cut off as he felt another involuntary power surge in his body. Electricity sparked along his body and behind his eyes. It was only for a brief second, but it was enough for everyone to see.

"The transcendent is hostile! Fire!"

"No!" Barry shouted, but it was too late. The room was filled with the sound of gunshots being fired simultaneously.

Barry's body reacted instantly. He vibrated at the speed which would allow the bullets to pass through him harmlessly. But his body didn't take into account that his parents and Caitlin were directly behind him.

When Barry realized, he turned around with a terrified expression on his face.

The people he loved the most were being riddled with bullets. The officers stopped firing and the three bodies dropped unceremoniously to the ground with three soft thuds.

"No no no no…" Barry mumbled as he crumbled to the ground next to his family. "Please, please…"

But he already knew the answer. There was no way they could have survived the onslaught of bullets.

Barry looked at the officers with pleading eyes. "Call an ambulance. Call somebody. Please, they were innocent. It's me you wanted. You people can do whatever you want to me. Just please help them,"

"You shouldn't have dodged," they coldly responded.

"I…" Barry trailed off. "I shouldn't have…? Ahhh!" Barry tried to lunge forward at them to attack, but some of them got behind him and placed power suppressing cuffs on his arms behind his back. He forced Barry to remain on his knees.

"Transcendent is detained. Send him in." One of the officers talked into their comms.

The door opened. Another business looking man walked through the door. He peered into the room before stepping inside. The rest of the officers backed away from him as the man got closer.

"I haven't seen one of your kind in quite some time. The last one I believe was a young man named Wally West. Tell me, do you know who I am?" the man asked.

"You're the man who caused all this. You're the reason I had to hide my powers for so long. President Luthor." Barry answered, glaring at the bald man for having put forth such an act that would prosecute so many of his fellow metas.

"That's right. You know, I usually don't make house calls, but something about this case compelled me to come. Maybe it's because nobody has seen a speedster in years. Or maybe it's because I really want to do this," Lex Luthor pulled out a gun and pointed it straight at his head.

"You're really going to murder me? A regular civilian?" Barry asked.

"But see, you're not a civilian. You're nothing but a criminal. An illegal transcendent that escaped the system. One that I helped to apprehend and stop before you could pose as a serious threat to our nation. I'll be lauded as a hero. Because in this world, you are nothing." Luthor sneered at him before he pulled the trigger.

All of a sudden, it was like a switch finally flipped in his brain. Despite the power suppressors, it was like his powers had awoken from a deep slumber. Everything turned still. Every moment taken in.

There was no time to waste. Barry phased himself out of the cuffs. The bullet in front of him was no longer a danger, but he had no idea how long until his powers failed him again.

He grabbed the bullet and vibrated his fist until the bullet split in two. Barry positioned each fragment of the bullet to aim into the leg of his captors on either side of him. It would slow them down at the least.

Barry needed to get out of here, and there was only one person who could possibly help him now.

Barry ran for all he was worth. Back to the warehouse he used to store The Reverse Flash. He couldn't believe it had come to this, but the life he made for himself had been destroyed in one fell swoop. It had been a mistake. One that needed to be corrected.

Barry stumbled into the warehouse. His body was failing him again and his head felt like it was trying to split open.

"You're early. What's this about?" Eobard asked.

Barry didn't reply as he sliced the lock off of the bars he used to keep The Reverse Flash contained.

Eobard tentatively stepped out, trying to gauge whether this was another trap.

Barry was forced to sit down but remained upright. Taking deep breaths to steady his pain, and looked at Thawne directly. "I need you to take us back to that night."

"Excuse me?" Thawne asked.

"You heard me. We need to go back and fix everything. There isn't enough time. I don't have the strength to go back myself. People are going to be coming here soon, and they are going to kill me. And when they discover you here they're going to kill you too." Barry explained.

"Well as you elders say, totally worth it. If you die, I can die happy." Eobard smirked at him.

"What do you want?" Barry asked. Before, Thawne was begging Barry to let him go to fix his mistake. Now he was withholding his help.

"I want you to say it. Say what you want me to do." Eobard smiled cruelly at him.

"Are you serious right now?" Barry sighed tiredly on the ground.

"Say it," Eobard demanded.

In the distance, Barry could hear the police cars approaching. Damn. He thought he would have more time.

Looking up at Thawne, he said through gritted teeth. "I need you to go back and… kill my… mother."

"You _need_ me to?" Eobard said, emphasizing the word need. His smile stuck on his face as he watched Barry struggle.

"I want you to." Barry corrected. His head down in shame. "I want you to kill my mother."

"What's the magic word?" Eobard said in a singing tone.

"Please!" Barry shouted. Hatred burning through his eyes as he was forced to speak these words. "Please, I want you to kill my mom."

Eobard snickered at the sight before him. The Flash, a sobbing mess, begging him to kill his mother. "Alright, let's get right back to where we started from." Eobard grabbed Barry by the scruff of his neck and sped off.

Before long, the time barrier broke one last time and they entered the street where it all began again. Eobard left Barry behind and ran into the house.

There, another Flash was trying to console his mother. "Hey, it's okay. You're safe now."

Eobard rushed forward and plunged a vibrating fist into the unsuspecting back of this Barry Allen. "Actually, she's not." Eobard whispered into his ear.

This Barry's last view was his mother's frightened face as her attacker had reappeared. As Barry died, his body faded from existence as well as the previous Reverse Flash. They weren't needed anymore.

The Reverse Flash grabbed a knife and stalked forward to the crying woman on the ground.

Without remorse, The Reverse Flash stabbed the blade into the woman's chest. Nora collapsed to the ground, barely alive, and he got out of there. His part was done.

Eobard grabbed his Barry along the way and brought him back to 2016. "Alright, everything has been brought back to normal. At least, for me anyway." Eobard said mysteriously before he ran off to complete his own timeline.

"Word of advice before I go. Don't go back to that night. The time space continuum has been stretched paper thin at that moment. Any more strain, like any unwanted time travelers could rip it open like a giant wound." Eobard advised Barry before he left.

Eobard ran into another time portal that Barry knew would send him hurtling back to the year 2000, where he would be trapped there for the next 15 years.

Barry slowly walked back into the West household where, upon seeing Joe and Wally, immediately pulled them into a hug. Already, the memories of the forged timeline were starting to disappear as his actual memories resurfaced.

"Are you okay Barr?" Joe asked.

"I just feel like I haven't seen you in such a long time." Barry answered.

"We just saw each other a couple hours ago. Caitlin said you needed to take a moment for yourself. How are you feeling?" Wally pointed out.

"Better than when I left, that I can tell you." Barry replied.

"Well good. I'm glad you're feeling better." Joe smiled at him.

"Where's Iris?" Barry asked. Barry could almost feel the temperature of the room drop as he spoke Iris' name.

The father and son's smiles dropped to frowns. "I'm just going to chalk that up to grief and go to sleep. It's been a long night." Joe walked up the stairs in preparation for bed.

"What did I say?" Barry asked, because he was confused on what could have happened to make them react this way.

"Like you don't know?" Wally said incredulously. "Iris is gone Barry. You know that."

Wally walked away to the kitchen, presumably to get something to drink.

Barry sat down on the couch to think over the bomb that Wally had handed to him. Iris was gone. In what sense? Did he mean…?

"What the hell did I do?" Barry asked himself.

* * *

**And now we're back. I mentioned how I would make Barry change the timeline again more personal than they did in the show, so I had balance restored by killing his parents again, along with Caitlin in a shootout. And who else hated Thawne after what he made Barry say to get him to change the timeline? Begging and pleading to have his mother murdered. Not just needing, but wanting it to happen.**

**And then there's the whole time travel with Legends concerning Thawne, but I straightened it out by saying the Speed Force would force Thawne back to 2000. And does anyone want to hazard a guess as to what happened with Iris? You'll find out next week, but I purposefully left it open ended to let people make their own assumptions. And I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to happen myself, I just knew I had to get Iris out of there or I would have killed her off in a very gruesome way further down the line.**

**So I'll see you all next week to see the changes that I have done to the timeline. Bye now.**


	35. Branches of Cracks

**Okay. Now that we're back, you all get to see what changes I've made to the original timeline that differs from the show. I know a lot of you have been waiting for this, so without further ado, my co-authors are Brightburn1985 and ThomasMarieAmell2.0/**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash.**

* * *

As it turned out, Iris wasn't dead and Barry could now breathe easily. What had actually happened was that Eddie had managed to survive his encounter with The Reverse Flash and still erase him from existence. Eddie did this by aiming his gun a little lower…

Either way, Eddie could no longer reproduce, which would mean Eobard would still never be born.

With Eddie still alive, after some surgery, the two of them went off on their own to live their lives away from the dangers of Central City and The Flash. They stopped by every now and then, but they mostly spent their days in Coast City.

Joe was a little sour about that, seeing as Iris left pretty unexpectedly with just a note to give an explanation. But Joe did understand that Iris was her own person and capable of making her own decisions.

He was mostly upset about the fact he didn't get to walk her down the aisle when Iris and Eddie decided to elope before they left Central City. Nobody knew about it until they already left for Coast City.

This change worried Barry as there may be other things that changed with the timeline when he traveled back through time, which caused him to seek the aid of Felicity.

Barry sped into the Arrow Cave where Felicity currently was. "I need some help." Barry announced.

Felicity let out a shriek at his appearance before she managed to compose herself. "You'd think after over 2 years I'd have gotten used to that."

"Felicity can you help me?" Barry asked again.

"Sure, what do you need? Are you looking for something specific?" Felicity asked.

"I'm not sure what I'm looking for exactly. I'll tell you when I find it," Barry answered.

"That's helpful." Felicity said sarcastically. "Do you need some help?"

"No, it'll be faster if I look through them myself. And you're not going to be looking for what I am." Barry said, getting onto the computers. Moving between them, looking over every little information he could find in the span of a few seconds.

Barry ignored everything that didn't involve himself or his personal group of friends and co-workers. While there may be things outside of that circle that changed, it wasn't like he would recognize it if it did.

He checked the school records, medical records, police records. Anything that could relate to his friends. He even went as far as to check if his favourite supermarket was still there. Everything seemed to be in order.

Wait a minute. "Dante died?" Barry exclaimed as he saw the death certificate of Cisco's brother.

"That happened months ago. How do you not remember?" Felicity asked.

"That never happened before." Barry said.

"Before what exactly?"

"Flashpoint! When my father died, I wasn't in the right frame of mind, so I went back to save my mother from being killed and lived this whole other life where everything was perfect, but everything went to hell so I changed everything back. But things aren't the same as they were before I changed the timeline."

"Cisco's brother wasn't dead? What else has changed?" Felicity asked. "You wouldn't have come here if it was just a hunch that things had changed."

"Iris and Eddie. Eddie died, shot himself in the chest. Now, he's alive and living in Coast City." Barry explained.

"So, one person comes back from the dead…" Felicity began to say.

"And another is taken from life," Barry finished her train of thought. He was starting to see where this was going.

"Has anything else changed?" Felicity asked.

"Not that I can see. Everything here seems normal," Barry continued typing on the keyboard to see if there were any discrepancies with the original timeline. "Wait, who's that boy next to Dig?"

"His son. Why, he didn't have a kid before?" Felicity asked.

"He had a kid. He has a kid. Baby Sara," Barry informed her.

"Baby John," Felicity points to the child in the picture.

"Oh no," Barry moaned as he rubbed his head. Apparently he could even alter the gender of a child. He wasn't even sure how that would be affected by time travel.

"Oh my god, it even affects us," Felicity gasped in shock at the thought that her life may not be how it was before. That certain aspects of her life did not exist any longer.

"Alright, bring me up to speed on everything that has happened in this timeline since the year 2000." Barry said after getting over the initial shock.

So began a long lecture on everything Felicity could recall. Barry listening to everything. All the things they talked about seemed to align with what originally happened. Nothing life threatening popped up. No meaningful changes occurred. No more people rising from the dead or getting an early grave.

There was one point of interest. "Who's Julian Albert?" Barry asked.

"He's the Metahuman CSI expert you work with on cases. You're always complaining about the guy," Felicity said.

"I don't know Julian Albert," Barry informed her, shaking his head.

"Really? You've been working out of the same lab for the past few years." Felicity said.

"I do?" Barry asked.

"Think of him as the Draco Malfoy to your Harry Potter." Felicity stated.

"They're fictional characters." Barry pointed out.

"Well you always compared him to that snake." Felicity said. "You two have never liked each other. That's just a fact."

"He can't be that bad,"

"Barry, you are like pudding. Everybody likes pudding. Julian Albert is not everybody." Felicity told him.

"I guess we can put Caitlin in that pile as well." Barry mentioned.

"Are you kidding? That girl adores you. You're just too stubborn to realize that."

"Here we go again. I'm really not in the mood to talk about how people think Caitlin and I are in love. It's getting annoying."

"Hey, you're the one who brought her up." Felicity said in her defence.

"Irrelevant. Anything else you can think of?" Barry asked.

"Laurel came back from the dead, but she's different now. She's all evil." Felicity said.

"That didn't happen before. She died. We went to her funeral." Barry said in shock.

"We were all surprised as well. But we saw her, very much alive." Felicity said. "Did you have anything to do with that?"

"I don't think so." Barry said, but a flashback appeared at the front of his mind. When they unleashed the sound wave to stop the metas from Earth-2, Barry had run around picking up any and all metas he could find. He did see some familiar faces in his search. Barry didn't think of it at the time, but he could have sworn he saw Laurel Lance among the unconscious bodies.

"About a month ago. The metas from Earth-2. When I was rounding them up, I could've sworn I saw Laurel. But there were hundreds of other bodies I had to haul. Maybe in this timeline, I missed her and she got away before I could. The Laurel you saw could be her Earth-2 counterpart." Barry said.

"Thanks. I'll be sure to let the rest of the team know when they get back," Felicity said. She sounded a bit dejected at the news though.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy?" Barry asked.

"I'm content. I mean, it's nice to know that our Laurel hasn't been changed so fundamentally, but it was nice to think that Laurel was back, even if she turned out like that,"

"Well she's still Laurel. She's gone through different things in life, but she's still the same person underneath all that. If it helps, don't think of her as Laurel. Think of her as a second chance at a new friend."

"But she's evil," Felicity pointed out.

"I think everyone deserves a second chance. Even if others think they don't," Barry said. "Thanks for everything Felicity. I'm gonna head back to Central. I'll call you when I get there,"

Barry ran out of the cave and arrived at the West household within the next few seconds. Keeping his promise, he dialled Felicity's number on his phone.

"What did you do? Take the scenic route? I expected you to call sooner."

* * *

Barry tried to dive right into his new life. It wasn't as easy as he'd hoped. Cisco seemed to be giving him the cold shoulder. Caitlin was trying to avoid him at every turn, which wasn't all that different, but these seemed different for some reason.

And that was on top of everything he was going through. He'd watched his father die twice in a matter of months. And after watching his mother die again, he had to beg his mortal enemy to kill her once more. There were times in the day that he wished he could just curl right back into his bed, or go someplace where he could be alone.

Sometimes he would speed out of wherever he was and go to the house he'd inherited from Thawne and just break whatever he could get his hands on in that house. Then he'd rebuild whatever he had destroyed. At this point, the house had to have been reconstructed from the ground up at least 4 times by now.

He could still see his parents' glazed eyes. Their bodies being riddled with bullet wounds. Then he could possibly see the bullet that was about to lodge itself into his brain.

Those were the really bad days, where his dreams were plagued with the image of his parents being shot. And sometimes he would dream that he was the one holding the pistol that shot them. Those were terrible that made Barry want to stay in bed all day with barely anything to eat.

The biggest change he had to get through was his new co-worker, Julian Albert. Felicity was right. He really did remind him of Draco Malfoy.

He was disagreeable in every sense of the word. Everything Barry did was met with suspicion or outright contempt. Nothing seemed to please the guy. Barry hoped with his mind free of any bias toward the guy from previous meetings, Barry would be able to get along with the guy. The same couldn't be said with Albert. The moment Barry walked into the room, he was met with witty comments and constant slams. It was like having to live with a person who believed they were better than him in every way.

* * *

"Barry, he's at Grant and Main. Cut him off at your next turn." Cisco said to him through the comms.

Barry was chasing some perp on a motorcycle. The criminal robbed the city's bank, stole two bags of diamonds before making a run for it. He managed to get a gain from Barry after recklessly shooting at the civilians he was passing by.

But for all his work, it was pointless as Barry was quick to get the civilians out of harm and dismantled the bike while it was still in motion. The bike halted to a stop and completely fell apart. The police were right behind them ready to lock up the criminal.

Barry quickly left now that everything was in the hands of the police.

Barry arrived back at STAR with a smile on his face. Today was a good day for him. He hadn't even thought about his parents… Flashpoint all day. Barry pushed that thought aside. "Well, that's another win for Team Flash."

"It was just a robber. Nothing too special about him." Cisco said dejectedly.

"A win is a win. You need to celebrate the simple things in life. If nothing else, just be happy we caught him and didn't get away."

"He was trying to out speed The Flash on a motorbike. Police were right on his tail. The guy couldn't have gotten far even if you weren't there." Caitlin pointed out.

"Way to rain on my parade Ms. Frosty. You just can never let me be happy can you?" Barry said.

"Someone needs to keep your ego in check, Fleet Feet if you're going to celebrate the capture of a petty thief. We deal with bigger threats than a jewelry thief on a weekly basis." Caitlin responded.

"Why can't you let me enjoy my moment? Everything is calm in Central City if the greatest threat of the day is a 'petty jewelry thief'. Just relax a little. No need to be so uptight,"

"Who are you calling uptight? I'm not uptight." Caitlin rapidly said. "Do you guys think I'm uptight?"

Nobody dared to answer that as they all looked away from the doctor when she directed her question to them.

"Why does everyone think I'm uptight? I'm not!" Caitlin declared.

"Caitlin, you're icing your computer," Cisco pointed out at her sudden outburst of power.

Caitlin looked down to see a coat of frost covering her desktop that was originating from her fingers. She immediately let go and the frost began to melt. Hopefully it wouldn't cause too much damage.

"I don't appreciate what you guys are saying about me." Caitlin took deep breaths to calm yourself.

"We're not saying there's anything wrong. It's just we think you've been a bit… stressed these past few months without a chance to relax. With how calm things are now, this may be our best chance to unwind." Joe tried putting it delicately.

"That's just a nice way to say you think I'm uptight. Just be honest Joe," Caitlin called him out on his words.

"Caitlin, we've all gone through a lot with Zoom and all the metas he brought with him. We're still trying to track some of them down. But everything is peaceful and I intend to enjoy it while it lasts, because I know it just means something big is coming soon, and we need to be at the top of our game." Barry said.

"Alright fine," Caitlin submitted. "Maybe I'll go home. Read a couple books I've been meaning to get to,"

"Exactly," Barry exclaimed. Happy that Caitlin seemed to be so acceptable of this.

Suddenly both Barry and Joe's phone alerted them of a message. The two of them took a look at the message to see what it was about. "We need to leave. A body's been found in the river." Barry announced.

* * *

"So what is this? The fourth husk we've found?" Barry asked Joe as they approached.

"Fifth actually." A voice corrected Barry.

"Julian," Barry said, recognizing the blonde man.

"I'll save you some time. The husk is human. What caused this, we still don't know."

"I'm guessing you have an idea," Barry said.

"It's not natural. I can tell you that much. I'll know more once I'll be able to get a sample to the lab," Julian responded.

Barry made a move to obtain his own sample to study, but Julian interrupted him. "Don't touch it. Until it's proven otherwise, this is my investigation. I'd like if you didn't tamper with my evidence,"

Barry reluctantly packed his kit, but when Julian's back was turned, Barry managed to snatch a sample at super speed and safely place it in his bag without Julian noticing a thing.

"I believe you should be on your way gentlemen." Julian bid them goodbye.

"How have I put up with this guy for so long?" Barry muttered to himself as they walked away.

"You've been saying that for the past two years," Joe remarked.

"Still as true as the day I said it," Barry retorted. "I just don't get what his problem is."

"Well, you're just the complete opposite of what he expects of his co-workers. But you're also the CEO of a company, so he probably just has no idea what you're doing in a job you're overqualified for," Joe said.

"Still doesn't give him the right to be a prick," Barry rolled his eyes.

"Just hang in there Barry. You know, you don't even really need this job anymore. You already make more money from STAR in a month than you do in a year at CCPD."

"I feel I'm putting my skills to better use at CCPD than at STAR. The most science I get from STAR is looking over the projects all my other labs are working on. Other than that, it's mostly just business. I should've paid more attention to my financial classes in school." Barry commented.

"Well, it's your decision. Just know you can quit at any time. Nobody would blame you if you decided to focus all your attention on STAR. It's the most logical thing to do."

"I like being a CSI. Being CEO is just a way to give our _side project_ some backing," Barry said, talking about being The Flash as their side project.

* * *

Taking the sample of the husk back to STAR Labs, they set to work on finding out where it came from and what could cause such a thing.

"Well it's definitely human. There's no mistaking that," Caitlin reported.

"Any idea who it is?" Barry asked.

"Running it through the database. We'll get a match soon."

"What could have caused such a thing?" Cisco questioned.

"Who knows? Most likely, it's meta related, but there doesn't seem to be a reason for it. You said this was the fifth husk you've found?"

"Yeah, haven't been able to find a positive ID for any of them,"

"We'll find them soon. It should only be a matter of time." Caitlin said, facing towards the ground, trying to avoid eye contact with Barry.

Barry didn't see anything wrong with that. They'd been avoiding each other for years now. Not to mention he'd said he hated her right to her face. Said that he didn't care about her. He didn't mean those, but he did at the time.

They hadn't gotten a chance to clear the air between them yet, but for the moment they were both content to leave things as they are and talk later.

Barry soon left when there was nothing to do. His CEO duties kept him busy and there was a particular project about robotic prosthetic arms he was taking an interest in at the moment. It had the possibility of responding to the user's thoughts and gave a sense of touch to the user as well. It could be revolutionary.

Cisco was a little more observant of his best friend. Caitlin wasn't like her usual self. Now that he was thinking about it, it all really started when she managed to escape the clutches of Zoom. At the time, Cisco just thought she was reeling from the shock of being held captive, but now Cisco was starting to think there was something else to it.

"Are you alright?" Cisco asked.

"Yeah, why would you ask that?" Caitlin responded.

"You just don't seem okay. It's okay if you're not. We'd all understand if you're not,"

"I'm fine, I just got a lot on my mind lately,"

"Care to share? Maybe I can help you,"

"No, I'm not going to tell you. And you can't help me with this. It's personal and I don't feel comfortable telling you,"

"Come on, we're best friends. When do we not tell each other everything? Can you at least give me a hint?" Cisco asked.

Caitlin shook her head. She didn't want Cisco to know what she had been thinking, which were her rising feelings for Barry. Every time she saw Barry was a struggle to keep her bodily functions unnoticeable. She couldn't risk letting anything away that she had developed feelings for their resident speedster.

"I'll guess then. Does it have to do with Barry? With you, it usually has to do with Barry,"

Caitlin kept still at the mention of his name. Maybe a little frost formed on her fingers, but she didn't acknowledge it. Unfortunately, Cisco did notice.

"So it does. That's not a surprise. What's he done this time? Have you two finally realized your feelings for each other?" Cisco joked.

Caitlin sharply sucked in a breath of air and looked down at the ground in shame. Her face developed a red hue and steam rising from hands as a result of her ice evaporating rapidly.

Cisco's eyes widened in shock. There was no way. There was absolutely no way this could be happening right now. "No," Cisco gasped.

"I didn't say anything," Caitlin denied.

"Your face says it all. I never thought this day would come. I mean, I keep asking and I knew one day you would say yes, I just didn't realize it would be today. Yes!" Cisco shouted in excitement. "The day has finally come. Caitlin Snow is in-Mmph!"

Caitlin quickly covered Cisco's mouth before he could continue. "Would you shut up? No need to be so damn excited."

"You don't know how long we've all been waiting for this day. Me, Iris, Joe. The list goes on. When are you going to tell him?"

"Cisco…"

"No, no!" Cisco shouted in dismay. "This is the happiest I have been in a long time. You are not going to rob me of this. The past few months have been hell. You are not about to tell me you are going to keep this locked up in yourself. You are going to tell Barry you love him!"

"Cisco I'm so sorry," Caitlin shook her head.

"If you won't tell him, I will," Cisco threatened.

"Like he'll believe you? You've been saying this for so long, we've kinda become numb to it,"

"This is not happening! Over two years! It finally happens, and you're not going to do anything about it?!" Cisco shouted.

"I'm not," Caitlin shook her head, "I love him too much to risk telling him and he'll say no. I won't be able to take it if he says no Cisco. I just can't,"

* * *

Cisco was miserable. For the past few months, it was like walking in a daze. After his brother's accident, nothing seemed to make sense anymore. He and Dante may not have been close, but they were still brothers. They were family. They grew up in the same house, only a few doors down from each other.

Cisco did his job as well as he could but he just couldn't seem to put his heart into it. He showed up at STAR and did his part for Team Flash. He did research and prepared inventions they could use in future events and practised his powers.

But ever since Dante, nothing seemed right in the world. How could it? His brother was dead. Killed by a drunk driver. Nothing would ever be the same again.

Some days were just so hard to get through. It was like every memory he would ever make with his brother had been ripped from his grasp. There was nothing ever fair about this situation.

Cisco had been attending a support group for this and honestly he wasn't sure how that was progressing. And now Caitlin had finally come forth with the news that he knew from the beginning of their relationship. That she was in love with Barry.

But she wasn't going to do anything about it. After over two years of beating around the bush, one of them finally admits it, but were too afraid of the repercussions. Why couldn't it have been Barry who had the realizations? At least he would tell the truth and come clean about his feelings.

Speaking of Barry, he'd been acting squirrely himself recently, as though he had something to hide.

Barry showed up at his support group just as he was talking about how he always regretted the fact that he was estranged from Dante, and now it was too late to patch things up.

"What are you doing here?" Cisco asked. He was still feeling slightly raw from having to talk about his brother and dredging up past memories.

"I'm just trying to understand what's going on right now," Barry answered.

"My brother is dead. That's all you need to understand. And you won't go back to save him," Cisco reminded him.

Cisco had begged Barry to travel through time in order to prevent Dante's death, but Barry had repeatedly refused, saying there were consequences of time travel that none of them understood. That time wasn't something they could tamper with and hope for the best outcome.

On a subconscious level, Cisco understood what Barry was saying. That he didn't have any right asking Barry to change the timeline just for his own selfish reasons. Millions of people died on a daily basis. To the mass majority of the human population, his brother was just a statistic.

But Dante wasn't just a statistic to him. Dante was his brother. His family. His flesh and blood. And what was the point of having such an ability if you weren't going to use it? The timeline wasn't going to care if Dante survived. It was just one measly life that would be saved from an untimely death. What was wrong with that?

Cisco would have done anything to have one more moment with his brother. They loved each other. They lived just a hallway down from each other. They were never close, but they were family. And family was everything.

* * *

Barry was devastated. He was filled with the guilt of having caused Cisco's brother to die. Even if Barry hadn't intentionally wanted for Dante to die, he was still the cause of it happening.

Barry hated seeing Cisco so depressed. And to know that Cisco had outright begged him before to change the past to save his brother hurt Barry more than Cisco would ever understand.

Because that was him a few months ago. In a vulnerable state after the death of his father, he decided to be selfish for once and go back to save his mother and father from their fates, only to bring them down again because of him. In the end, he hadn't made anything better. His parents still died. Caitlin died. He was about to die if his speed hadn't kicked in when it did.

Was Caitlin there? He was starting to have problems recalling that timeline. Barry was pretty sure Caitlin was there, but now he couldn't remember. The only thing he could be sure of was that he did save his mother but had decided to change the timeline back to normal.

Still, he would be the greatest hypocrite for having saved his mother and damning the consequences, but denying Cisco the chance to be happy with his brother.

His decision made, Barry prepared for another time jump. This one a few months back in order to prevent Dante from ever getting in his car and therefore saving his life.

Barry was in the Speed Force, waiting for the moment where he would exit and enter a different time when he was pulled out and dropped on the ground.

Clothes were thrown at him from a man in front of him. "Put those on. You're going to want to blend in here,"

There talking to him was the real Jay Garrick. The one they saved from Zoom's lair. And his father's doppelganger.

Cautiously, Barry followed the elder speedster into a diner. "Where, or when, are we?" Barry asked as they sat down.

"We're in the 80s. But that's not why we're here. We need to have a talk." Jay declared.

"Why did you pull me out? I was just about to-"

"Change the timeline, I know," Jay interrupted him. "And I'm here to tell you it's not going to work. I know about your little time travel incident. I could feel it. And I could feel it when you came back. That's why I'm here right now."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Barry shook his head.

"Oh, I don't? Believe me Barry, I have been in your shoes before. I was young. I thought I could change the world with my powers, but I soon learned the consequences we face. I'm trying to make sure you don't make the same mistakes I have made,"

"I don't understand what you're talking about. Something happened with the timeline. Things changed that weren't supposed to. I'm just trying to fix those mistakes," Barry insisted.

"You're familiar with the time boom? I believe it was explained to you?" Jay asked, which Barry nodded his head as he recalled Eobard talking to him about that. "Well, let's try a more visual representation. Humour me here. Let's say this cup is the timeline. When we use our speed to go back to change the timeline," Jay vibrated his hand with the cup until the cup broke off a piece, "a new timeline is forged. But when we try to fix what we made," Jay tried to place the broken chip back where it once rested, "you never get exactly the same thing again." Jay displayed the cup that now had cracks all over despite being in one piece again.

"So what are you saying? These alterations I've found, they're not a mistake?" Barry asked.

"No, simply repercussions, cracks if you will, in the timeline that have been caused by the use of our speed to manipulate the timeline," Jay responded.

"So it's still my fault? All of those repercussions are still my fault? I don't know where you are going with this, Jay?"

"You can't go back because the more you do it, the more cracks there will be. There will always be repercussions for when you travel through time. It will continue to the point where you won't recognize what's real or not." Jay told him. "Now that you've created this timeline, there is no changing it anymore. If you try, it will only create more differences. The life you have now is one you can still remember. Be grateful nothing larger has been changed. We're not gods Barry. We're men. Men who have been given a great gift, but we don't get to decide who lives and who dies. There are just some things that are out of our capability to change."

Barry didn't like this. In fact he hated it, being told what to do. But Jay wasn't going to allow him to change the timeline to suit his original life. But Jay was right about one thing. The life he currently had was one that closely mirrored his previous life. But it was just different in more meaningful ways than he would have preferred. Barry needed to accept that this life was what he'd been given, and there was no way he could change it without damaging it further.

* * *

**So Barry learns what's different with the timeline and Jay shows up before Barry can alter the timeline again by saving Dante. We'll be seeing the team's reaction next week. It's going to be legen- wait for it- dary.**

**I'll see you all next week and sorry if this came out a little late for everyone.**


	36. Split Persona

**The next chapter of our adventures begins. Here's the big confrontation between Barry and the team and Barry confessing about Flashpoint and the consequences of his actions. My co-authors are Brightburn1985 and ThomasMarieAmell2.0. Go check them out.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash**

* * *

Once Barry returned to 2016, he called for a meeting with Team Flash in order to come clean about what he'd done, because he just couldn't have this weight on his chest if this was the world he was going to be living in now.

"So you called us here. What's this about?" Caitlin asked once everyone had arrived.

"I need to be honest with you all. I've kept a secret from you that I need to confess because what I've done affects all of you." Barry said.

"What could you have possibly done?" Joe asked.

"I changed the timeline," Barry admitted.

"That'll do it," Joe said, shocked as he took a seat so he could process what he'd been told.

"You changed the timeline? Like, you went back in time?" Wally asked.

"Yeah, after the night we defeated Zoom, I wasn't in the best frame of mind," Barry started to explain, "so in a fit of depression and rage, I went back in time and saved my mother from being murdered that night."

"So is she alive right now?" Wally asked, looking around as if Nora Allen was just about to pop out at any second.

"That's not how time travel works. If she survived, we wouldn't even know she was supposed to be dead," Caitlin corrected him.

"She was for a few months. I lived in this alternate timeline where both my parents were alive. It's called Flashpoint apparently. But everything went wrong. Both of them died again because of a mistake I made. So I went back in time again to stop myself. And I created a new timeline. It's the one we're living in right now. It's not that different, but for some of us in this room, it's changed in a lot of meaningful ways. Ways that I never intended to happen,"

Everything was silent as they all took in Barry's words that this timeline they were living in was a product of Barry messing with the timeline. "Are you serious?" Cisco shouted.

"Cisco!" Caitlin exclaimed.

"Do you know how many times I begged you to save my brother? To save Dante? But every time you said, 'No Cisco,' 'I can't Cisco,' 'The timeline shouldn't be changed Cisco,' but when it concerns your family, to hell with the rules right?"

"I never said those things." Barry said.

"What do you mean? Of course you said those things."

"I never said anything like that. You may remember me saying that, but that wasn't me. When I heard your brother died, I wanted to save him. I was going to save him, but Jay Garrick from Earth-3 stopped me and explained why I couldn't go messing with the timeline again,"

"You _heard_ he died? You were at his funeral! You lived with me for weeks because you didn't want me to be alone after he died. What are you saying?"

"I'm saying… Dante was alive in the original timeline. Dante was alive before I went back to save my mother and when I came back, he'd been dead for a few months." Barry told him.

"He was alive?" Cisco said in a whispered tone. "He was alive?!" Cisco shouted. "You killed my brother?!"

"No, no I didn't kill your brother. I didn't…" Barry denied.

"But you did something." Cisco accused him. "You changed the timeline. And my brother is dead as a result of that. You killed him!"

"I didn't mean for Dante to die! You think I wanted this? For my best friend's brother to die because of something I did?"

"Don't call me that," Cisco shook his head. "You don't deserve to call me that after what you did. My brother is dead because of you."

"Can we take this somewhere else?" Barry asked as he looked at the rest of the team staring at their heated argument.

"No!" Cisco shouted. "We are going to do this right here so they all know what you did. You changed the timeline to suit your wants. You got the perfect life, but something went wrong and whiny Barry Allen had to go back to change everything and my brother died as a result,"

"That's not fair. I didn't want Dante to die. And if I could change it, I would, but I can't, not anymore. It's too dangerous if I go back again,"

"I don't care! My brother is dead because of you, and there is nothing that I wouldn't do to have him back. To hell with the timeline. I just want him back," Cisco cried out.

"I know, Cisco. Believe me, I know. But if I go back and save Dante, maybe Caitlin, Joe, Iris or even someone else may die in his place. I'm sorry that my mistake cost you your brother but I can't go back in time to save him. It's too risky." Barry explained, a few tears threatening to escape his eyes before he wiped them off.

"A mistake? You killed my brother by mistake? You call ruining my life a mistake? Everything that's happened is your fault! You destroy everything you touch!"

"Fine! Fine! It's my fault. Everything is my fault. I made a mistake and it got your brother killed. I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry. What do you want me to do? I can't bring back your brother Cisco. I just can't," Barry said.

"Why can't you? You brought back your mother. Or is my family just not as important as your own?"

"Yes! Okay? My family means everything to me. I'm sorry this happened, but for once I wanted to do something for myself. I wanted to be selfish for once. I deserve that! I deserve a chance to be happy,"

"And what about me? I don't deserve to be happy? Why do you get a chance to be happy?" Cisco asked angrily.

"It's not worth it Cisco. Trust me, whatever happens, it's not going to be worth having your brother back. What I did, I never should have done and you have to pay the price. For that, I'm sorry, but it is what it is. I can't do what you're asking," Barry dejectedly shook his head.

"No, you won't do it. There's a difference. I need to get out of here," Cisco declared.

"Wait, I need to know if we're going to be okay. Because you're still my best friend Cisco, and I want us to get past this someday." Barry asked.

"To be blunt, I don't know. Truth is I want us to be okay. I want to be able to trust you again. But I just don't know if that's going to be possible right now, because the only thing I see when I look at you is the fact that you are the reason my family is broken beyond repair. So I don't want to see you, not for a long time." Cisco said before he walked out of the room to contemplate where he would be going from here. Nobody was sure when they would see him again, if they ever would.

Barry looked back at the rest of the team. "I'm sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen,"

"Are there any other secrets you have? Because if you do, this is the time to tell them," Wally asked. Wally was angry as well, but it didn't seem that any of the consequences affected him much, so he didn't really have much reason to be angry. He just knew Barry had made a grave mistake.

"No, this is it," Barry admitted. He decided not to mention anything about Iris. She seemed to have gotten a good ending at least. No need to say that things had been worse for her in the original timeline.

Wally nodded before he left the Cortex as well, followed by Joe.

"Guess you were right," Barry called out as Caitlin was about to leave as well. "I really am just a selfish bastard."

"No, you were right. You deserve the chance for a little happiness. Cisco is just angry, but he'll calm down and understand where you're coming from. But just for the record, you were an idiot Fleet Feet."

"I know Ms. Frosty. It was a mistake that I never intended for the rest of you to pay. And I'm scared of what else is going to bite me in the ass for this."

* * *

The consequences were being known very soon afterward.

A brand new speedster going by the name of The Rival. The self-proclaimed arch nemesis of The Flash.

It was honestly embarrassing how green this speedster was. He must have just developed his powers going by how easily it was for Barry to apprehend him.

They faced off in an abandoned steel mill just within the borders of Central City. Just upriver from where the latest husk had been found. The guy didn't know anything about the skills a speedster could develop. His only strength was within his speed, which Barry easily surpassed him.

His identity was Edward Clariss. A DNA test confirmed he was the husk they had found earlier, but Clariss didn't reveal how that had happened.

The only irregularity was how his powers had developed. He was in Central City the night of the explosion, but previous records showed no mutations in his genes afterward. It was possible it only lay dormant until recently, but something must have triggered them to appear. Clariss had told them of a tale that a man in a mask with a glowing stone had gifted him these powers.

Officials were looking into it because they couldn't rule anything out when in concern to metas, but there wasn't anything backing his story. But Clariss did give a name and his story remained consistent no matter how many times he told it. Dr. Alchemy.

There was nothing to the name. And Caitlin had been in touch with her underground contacts to keep a lookout for a new meta gifting powers to others. There were whispers of a man in a cloak that might match the description Clariss had given, but nothing definitive.

That was all they managed to get out of Clariss and all they would be able to get out of him because Clariss was dead the very next day. Killed in the cell they placed him in. Some unseen force had thrown him around the cell before he finally died from the blood loss. Clariss' screams were the last thing they heard. Pleas for his life. To be given another chance. The final thing he said was the name Alchemy.

They had no idea how this was possible. The cell and the area surrounding it had active meta dampeners that should have disabled all meta powers from working. They had no idea how this invisible force had managed to breach the security. It was going to be difficult to find out since they had no evidence to process besides Clariss' corpse. But it was highly probable there were going to be more.

Going by pure speculation, since Clariss was one of the five husks they found, there were still four unknown metas roaming around Central City. Usually this wouldn't be a bad thing. There were probably thousands of metas they had no idea about, but these particular metas were crafted by another who they had no idea what their intentions were.

Until they had more information, they just had to leave well enough alone. So far, Alchemy hadn't done anything wrong. He'd given Clariss powers, but that didn't constitute to be hunted down. Clariss seemed to have asked for these powers and then used them to his own advantage, trying to terrorize Barry. Just because Clariss didn't turn out good, didn't mean Alchemy was as well. They had to give Alchemy, whoever he was, the benefit of the doubt.

It wasn't until they were introduced to another case where things started to seem suspicious. A lamppost had been bent directly into the window of an apartment. The husband was in the hospital. The wife had been in the kitchen during the time so she hadn't seen anything. The only witness, their foster daughter Frances 'Frankie' Kane had claimed to have blacked out when it happened.

Barry tried to get as much off the crime scene as he could before Albert would inevitably take over. The amount of force needed to bend that lamppost even just an inch surpassed what humans were usually capable of. Most likely answer, a meta with super strength. There were no prints on the lamp but the meta could have used gloves.

An interesting thing though was that Julian's examinations revealed the lamppost had pressure applied to the entire structure simultaneously. A telekinetic perhaps then.

When they brought Frankie to CCPD for questioning, Julian had his suspicions about her, Julian tested Frankie's DNA for some indicator.

"You think that girl, Frankie, has powers that she used to attack her foster father?" Barry asked as Julian was examining her saliva under a microscope.

"I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think that." Julian responded. He took a moment to look at another file on his desk before comparing it to the one under the microscope. "And it's a good thing I did. Her cells match those of one of the husks we found,"

Julian sprung into action as he raced down the stairs to intercept Frankie before she left. "Hey! You! Girl! You did it, didn't you? With your powers. You put your foster father in the hospital," Julian accused her in front of the entire police force.

"What? No, I don't know what you're talking about." Frankie frantically denied. Feelings of fear started to burst through her and she clenched her hands against her head, trying to calm herself before she had another one of her episodes.

"You did it. You're a meta. Your foster father is in the hospital because of you. Isn't that right?" Julian continued to accuse her.

Frankie was shaking, but then everything seemed to calm. "Oh, I wanted to do much more than just hurt him. And now, I'm going to do the same thing I did to him to you," Frankie snarled, her palms facing upward. Frankie was tense in concentration as the entire CCPD building shook.

The CCPD relief was torn down from the wall and its trajectory was headed straight toward Julian.

Of course, Barry couldn't allow Julian to get hurt, or worse die, so he flashed into his suit and pulled Julian away from danger.

Barry headed outside where Frankie was casually walking away from the department. "Frankie Kane!" Barry shouted.

"Frankie isn't in the house anymore. My name is Magenta," Magenta declared.

"Look, I don't know what you're going through right now, but I can help you. You just need to let me," Barry offered his hand. Barry took a good look into her glowing eyes to see if there was any part of the scared girl he had previously interviewed.

"I don't need any help," Magenta denied.

A police cruiser was approaching them, but Magenta quickly made use of the situation. Using her powers to lift the car into the air. She relinquished her control and let it drop with the driver still inside.

Barry rushed up the walls and leaped into the car, getting the police officer to safety on the ground before the car came crashing to the ground.

Barry took a look around, but Frankie, or Magenta, must have gotten away when he was distracted.

* * *

"So what exactly is the plan?" Caitlin asked.

"We track down Frankie just like we would with any other metahuman. That's how this works. She assaulted her foster father and nearly destroyed CCPD. We need to bring her in," Barry replied.

"But she's just a child. A scared, confused, and mentally abused child who is probably struggling with this new power she's been given." Caitlin pointed out.

"We don't know that. She seemed to have a pretty good handle on them at CCPD. She even made her own name. Magenta." Barry told them.

"Julian confirmed she was one of the husks you found. You cannot deny that she was given her powers from Alchemy."

"What I'm saying is that I don't think that was Frankie who tried to attack me. When I talked to her, there wasn't a hint of the girl I saw before. She even referred to herself in the third person. I think she suffers from dissociative identity disorder." Barry admitted.

"She has a split personality?" Caitlin asked.

"Exactly," Barry agreed.

"It's not that uncommon with foster children. They already suffer from the trauma of losing their parents. Still, it's a pretty big step from just having blackouts that Frankie admits to having," Caitlin said.

"I'm telling you, I saw what happened. Whoever Magenta is, she's the one behind the wheel. Not Frankie. She needs help," Barry said.

"I'll have to look into it, but Barry if this is true, then you need to be careful. We don't know what Magenta is capable of. Who knows what she's planning on doing." Caitlin warned him.

"We still need to find her first. Cisco?" Barry asked.

"Already on it. We'll find her soon. Don't worry." Cisco responded, setting up their satellite to try to pinpoint on where Frankie had run off to. Cisco had been keeping quiet for the longest time, which was very unusual for the usually boisterous man. But they understood why. Even Wally and Joe had been keeping their distance from Barry, keeping their interactions strictly professional. Joe talking with him about work, and Wally only speaking to him if he had any questions with his college workload. And with Cisco, frankly they were all just glad he hadn't left the team. He'd only just returned after a month and needed to be informed about what happened with the new speedster.

For a few weeks, it had really only been Barry and Caitlin working in STAR Labs since Caitlin was the only one who'd decided to keep working with Barry. Caitlin slightly blamed herself for this. If she'd just gotten the courage to confess her feelings for him that night, maybe Barry wouldn't have felt he needed to take such drastic actions such as reviving his dead parents. Things were slightly awkward the first few days, but they soon smoothed things over once it was clear Barry genuinely regretted everything he'd done after the battle with Zoom. That his anger was misplaced, but understandable. Nobody approved of what Barry did, but it was understandable.

"Should one of us talk to the foster father at the hospital? He may know something we don't," Barry suggested.

"I'll run over there. With Kane on the run, we need to interview the family anyway. Don't know if he's in any shape for some questioning though…" Joe offered.

"Just go check to see if he is. It would be a big help." Barry thanked him.

Joe left to head down to the hospital to interview the father, leaving the rest of them behind.

"When we do meet Frankie, what are we going to do? How do we stop her?" Cisco asked. He was trying to keep away any negative emotions he may be feeling towards Barry at the moment. This was pure business with a little girl missing and a potential threat. He could be angry at Barry some other time.

"First, we need to identify what her abilities are, and how we would neutralize them." Caitlin said.

"From what I've seen, she's able to bend things with her mind." Barry informed them. "But I couldn't feel it myself. I mean, I saw metal bars bend before my eyes. She picked up a car with barely a thought. But I didn't so much as feel a nudge from her powers,"

"So you have a car, metal bars, plus the lamppost she crashed into her apartment, what would you get?" Caitlin asked.

"They're all metal objects. Frankie isn't telekinetic, she's magnetic," Cisco realized. "She's a giant magnet."

"Perfect, how do we stop a magnet?" Caitlin grumbled.

"You can't. But you can cancel out one. If we somehow generate a positive magnetic field as strong as Magenta's, we can counteract her attacks." Barry said.

* * *

Harry and Jesse from Earth-2 had come to visit them with surprising news. Jesse had developed powers of her own. Extreme speed.

Apparently, a drunk driver was speeding and almost crashed into Jesse, but the sudden adrenaline seemed to have activated her dormant powers to allow her time to get out of the way.

Since the only experience they had with speedsters on their Earth was Zoom, they decided to seek advice from Team Flash.

"Well if you need some help, we can always use the Speed Lab," Cisco mentioned.

"What Speed Lab?" Harry and Barry asked at the same time.

Cisco then brought them to another section of STAR Labs that had previously been used for storage. "What is this place?" Barry asked.

"The Speed Lab? The one we built in order to test your speed in a controlled environment without any chance of intruders?" Cisco asked.

"You've never been here before?" Harry directed the question to Barry.

"No," Barry shook his head.

"Well then that has to mean… you changed the timeline didn't you?" Harry realized.

"How did you know that?" Joe asked.

"Because Detective, we've never been here before," Harry gestured to him and his daughter.

"Right, different Earth, different timeline," Joe realized how Harry and Jesse wouldn't be affected by changes to the timeline because they belonged to a different timeline.

"Haven't we talked about how you shouldn't do that? What did you do?" Harry asked.

"Look, I realized my mistake. I changed everything back. But things were different once I got back," Barry explained.

"Of course they were. But I'm sure, whatever it was, it was worth it. Not!" Harry yelled.

"It was to me," Barry mumbled to himself.

"Earth-2 is doing 'Not' now?" Cisco asked.

"Nope, that's all him," Jesse shook her head.

"Just get on the track. We've got a lot of tests to run," Harry demanded.

Jesse complied to her father's wishes and took off her sweater to get a bit more comfortable before she sprinted on the track. Running in circles at a leisurely pace so the others would be able to get a feeling for where she is at the moment.

"Damn, that girl's got some speed," Cisco commented when he saw the numbers coming to the screen.

"Well just keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. I want to be absolutely sure nothing is wrong with her or her powers," Harry said.

"We'll take good care of Jesse, just like we do with Barry," Caitlin assured him.

"That just leaves me brimming with confidence. Not!" Harry shouted.

"Okay, let's calm down, Harry. Now let us do our jobs and I promise you, she will turn out fine like Barry." Caitlin said before she narrowly avoided the paper weight that Harry threw across the room.

"God, I hope not. We don't need anyone messing up the timeline in Earth-2."

* * *

After her run in the Speed Lab, Jesse came to a stop out of breath awaiting the results of her performance. "So, how did I do?"

"Everything looks great. I say you're good to go," Caitlin reported.

"Now, hold on. There are still a few tests I want to run through before we can be certain of anything." Harry pulled in the reins.

"So do you need me here or can I go take a break?" Jesse asked.

"Fine. Go have some fun. We'll call you back when we need you," Harry reluctantly let his daughter go.

"Awesome. You want to get out of here?" Jesse asked Wally.

"Okay," Wally nodded his head. Jesse sped the both of them out of the room to who knows where.

"Not that kind of fun!" Harry desperately called out to his long gone child.

"Relax, Jesse can handle herself. And Wally is a responsible adult. I'm sure they're going to be okay," Cisco assured him.

"That does not make me feel better. That is my daughter, and now she's got super speed to top it all off," Harry grinds his teeth.

"What's the problem?" Cisco asked.

"What's the problem? The problem is that she spent months watching Barry Allen capture meta after meta, and now all of a sudden, she has powers. And now she's going to want to use them herself." Harry said.

"And the problem?" Caitlin asked.

"I don't want her to use her powers. It is dangerous. Just because Zoom is gone, doesn't mean it isn't safe for metas on Earth-2. She is going to get herself killed." Harry declared.

"Well that's not your concern. That's Jesse's concern," Caitlin said.

"That's the same thing. Jesse is my daughter. Her concerns are my concerns."

"No, it's not. Maybe when she was a little kid, but not anymore. Jesse is an adult. She has a right to decide how she's going to use her powers. Whether she wants to use them for heroics, for terrorism, or she's going to hide them. That's her decision." Caitlin declared.

"Well, it's still my right as her parent to tell her how I feel about this." Harry said.

"Exactly. Talk to her about it. Tell her how you feel, but ultimately you need to realize it is Jesse's choice on how she wants to use her powers."

"Can you do that? You're a meta Snow, you know the struggles that come with it,"

"I am not getting in the middle of one of your family squabbles just because you don't want to have an honest conversation with your daughter," Caitlin said.

"Ramon?" Harry asked.

"Count me out. I have never seen Jesse angry, but if she is anything like you, I know I don't want to see that," Cisco refused.

"This is why I'm getting premature grey hairs," Harry muttered.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking? Jumping into the road like that? What if Jesse hadn't been there? You would've been killed," Barry was chewing out Wally for thinking so irrationally. Walking into the road, in front of a moving truck so that he may get powers because that was what happened with Jesse.

"What? Only enough room for one speedster in the family Barry?" Wally shouted.

"That has nothing to do with this. You shouldn't go looking to get yourself hurt for the small chance you'll get powers as a result. I mean, you got to use your head," Barry retorted.

"You don't get to tell me what to do. You don't even know me," Wally said.

"Anything you want to add?" Barry directed the question to Joe, who may have some more words for his son.

"No, I think you got everything," Joe shook his head.

"Screw off, I don't need to listen to this," Wally walked off.

"Wally!" Barry shouted.

"What am I going to do about that boy?" Joe asked himself.

"I don't know, but you need to make sure he doesn't do something like this again. He got lucky Jesse was there, but there won't be anyone with him if he tries this again,"

"I know. Believe me, I know. I was so scared and angry at him when I heard what happened. Now I'm just glad he's okay."

"Still, he can't go trying this again. Make sure he knows that Joe. He's not going to listen to me, so you need to get it into his head that what he just tried was idiotic."

"Alright, leave that to me. You should focus on how you're planning on taking down Magenta," Joe said.

"We need to find her first. Did you find anything with the foster dad?" Barry asked.

"Just that he's a grade A asshole. That man's got a temper on him. I've seen the signs before. Aggressive, loud. Wouldn't be surprised if he beat his wife behind closed doors," Joe revealed.

"Is that right?" Barry asked, a look of deep concentration taking over his facial features.

"What are you thinking?" Joe asked.

"Well Frankie's been in the foster system since she was a child. Bouncing from foster home to foster home. Not all of them must have been good since she's developed an alternate personality in her head."

"Yeah?"

"The way Magenta was acting. You could almost call it protective. Frankie was freaking out when Julian was accusing her of attempted murder. Magenta took over and tried to neutralize the perceived threat to Frankie. What if that's what happened that night?" Barry suggested.

"What do you mean?" Joe asked to clarify.

"What if John, the foster dad, was yelling at Frankie or hitting something like you said? Frankie would have been scared. She would have panicked. Magenta would take over and use her powers to bend a lamppost to stop John. Magenta was protecting Frankie when Frankie felt threatened." Barry told him.

Joe thought about it for a second before responding. "It sounds possible. But we've got no evidence that indicates that,"

"Yeah, but alternate personalities are usually made to help the person cope with traumatic events they otherwise wouldn't be able to handle. They shield the host from terrible memories so they don't have to live with them." Barry said. "If what I said is true, and Magenta is in control right now, she's going to go after whatever makes Frankie feel vulnerable."

"The foster father," Joe realized, "I'll go right now and call for backup. You better be prepared in case Magenta decides to finish the job with John."

"We're working on it," Barry replied.

* * *

**So how was that? Was it any good? I wanted to have Cisco be away from the team for awhile, but it didn't work with what I had planned, so I skimmed over that part, saying Cisco was gone for a month and that Barry and Caitlin took down Clariss by themselves, which wasn't too unbelievable in my eyes.**

**Next we go to Frankie, who I actually really liked despite only being in the one episode. Because she is so young is really going to help drive Barry into finding Alchemy. I have big plans for Savitar because it was so beautifully built up, but terribly executed.**

**One more thing, what do you think I should do about the musical? Just skim over it or I could make my own version? Your opinion would really help me make my decision because I don't want to just copy it word for word.**

**Anyway, that's all. I'll see you next week.**


	37. Slaughter

**Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas! Or whatever it is you all celebrate. This is going to be my last post of the year so I'll see you in 2021. My co-authors are Brightburn1985 and ThomasMarieAmell2.0.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash**

* * *

Night had fallen, and the team still had no idea how to stop Magenta's powers. They'd just have to take her out before she could cause any harm.

Joe was stationed at the hospital where the foster father was placed. Barry remained at STAR Labs just in case they were wrong and Magenta would launch an attack elsewhere. Or maybe she'd left Central City to start anew. One could hope.

"Do you see any sign of her?" Barry asked Joe through the phone.

"Nothing. If she's here, she's not doing anything." Joe responded.

"Just keep an eye out. No telling when she'll be there."

"You know Barry, this is still just a hunch. Magenta might not even show. We could just be wasting our time waiting for her here," Joe pointed out.

"I know Joe, but it's the best lead we have. If Magenta doesn't make an appearance, chances are she's never going to resurface," Barry said. "It's a long shot, but it's the only one we have,"

Barry then heard screams coming from the other end of the call. Caitlin and Cisco exchanged looks of concern with him at the sound. "What was that? Are people screaming?"

"That might have something to do with the giant ship that just levitated out of the harbour," Joe informed them.

"What are we going to do about that? If Magenta drops that, it could kill a lot of people, no matter where it falls." Caitlin asked in concern.

"We'll have to think of a way to keep the boat from falling for now. I've got to get out there. Start thinking!" Barry shouted as he got into his suit and rushed out to the hospital.

Barry stopped at the top of the hospital that Magenta was threatening to take down. The boat was slowly coming closer and higher as it was preparing to bring down the building. "Okay guys, I'm here. Open to some suggestions,"

There was silence on the other end that started to unnerve Barry. They had to think of something soon. "Bottom line Barry," Harry began to say, "we have no idea how you can generate a powerful enough force that will be able to keep the ship suspended in the air."

"There has to be something!" Barry insisted as the ship was almost directly on top of him. "What if I use a wind funnel?"

"No, you'd never be able to generate the force necessary with just your arms," Harry said.

"No, not with my arms. If I run," Barry corrected him.

"That-that could work. Barry, run in a figure 8 fashion!" Harry shouted urgently.

Barry wasted no time as he started running in an infinite loop to create twin wind funnels that would hopefully keep the ship from crashing on top of the building.

Fortunately, it seemed to work. Magenta tried to force the ship down, but the wind Barry created when he ran was able to keep it suspended for the time being. But that introduced a new problem.

"Okay, crisis averted. The ship hasn't plummeted. We bought some time, now how are we going to stop Magenta if she's the only one who can bring the boat back into the water?" Cisco asked.

"Like I have all the answers?" Harry said sarcastically.

"Well Barry can't keep this up forever. Eventually he's going to stop from exhaustion or the roof is going to give out from his running. We're still on the clock," Caitlin said.

"Someone needs to convince Magenta or Frankie to put the boat back into the ocean," Harry said.

"Barry's usually the one who talks down our criminals. We're just there for backup," Cisco said, not having any experience in trying to calm down metas. He and Caitlin were both more used to taking down metas with brute force. Not an option in this scenario.

"Well obviously Allen can't leave where he is. So someone else needs to talk her down," Harry said.

"Joe! Can you do it?" Cisco asked through the phone.

"Everyone in the hospital is evacuating right now. I won't be able to get out of here fast enough." Joe said in dismay.

"So Barry needs to keep the ship suspended in the air, and talk down Magenta from dropping the ship. He can't be in two places at once," Caitlin said.

"Time remnant?" Cisco suggested.

"Do you really want Allen to tempt the fates?" Harry said.

Cisco thought back to what had changed the last time Barry had travelled through time. Even if it was for a few seconds, there could be huge consequences. "Not really," Cisco shook his head.

"What if I go out there?" Jesse asked.

"What are you going to do?" Harry asked his daughter.

"I'll take over for Barry," Jesse said. "I keep the ship in the air and then Barry will be able to leave and talk to Magenta. We don't have any other option right now,"

"Do we really need that hospital?" Harry asked the team.

"Dad!" Jesse shouted incredulously.

"I mean, how many people are in there right now? Two? Three?" Harry asked.

"There are still over a hundred people in here waiting to get out. Me included!" Joe shouted over the comms.

"Nobody asked you Joe!" Harry yelled.

Everybody looked at Harry for his response. Honestly, Jesse could have left, but she knew she'd forever feel guilty if she deliberately went against her father in this.

Harry just sighed and looked into his daughter's eyes. He remembered the conversation with Caitlin earlier, that he needed to realize Jesse was an adult now and she was the one to decide what to do with her new powers. "If that's what you want,"

Jesse smiled and rushed off. That was basically a yes coming from her father.

Moments later, she arrived at the roof of the hospital running alongside Barry. "Thought you could use some help. Go, I got this," Jesse said.

Barry nodded his head in thanks and broke off the loop to get to Magenta. "Frankie!"

Barry was able to locate the girl quickly. She was one of the only people in the streets right now, so it was easy to find her.

By her glowing eyes, they were right. Magenta was in control right now. Her eyes were filled in confusion as she looked at him and then back up to the roof where there were still sparks being shown from Jesse's speed trail.

"I had a little help," Barry briefly explained.

"Why are you helping him? John deserved everything we did to him. He hurt Frankie," Magenta said.

"I know. I know what happened that night. John, he was probably angry. Yelling a lot. Maybe he hit something. Frankie was scared. And you wanted to protect her. So you stopped him," Barry said in a calming voice.

"I-I just wanted to protect her and to stop the bad men from hurting Frankie ever again."

"I promise you, if you put the ship back into the water, nobody will ever hurt you again. John will serve time as soon as he's out of the hospital. We'll find a nice family to take care of you. You won't suffer anymore," Barry said.

"He said we were worthless. That we were nothing! A pathetic waste of space that didn't deserve his generosity." Magenta shouted.

"I understand. What happened to you was horrible and I'm so sorry you had to go through that. But what happened to you doesn't justify hurting all of these people." Barry said. "You're scaring them Magenta. You're scaring Frankie. She doesn't know what's happening to her and she's terrified."

"She can't know. It's too dangerous. I need to keep her safe. That's why I have to do this. So that she doesn't have to," Magenta said, tears were falling from her eyes.

"Frankie is stronger than you think. She needs to know. She deserves to know. Just put the ship back," Barry tried to convince her.

"I have always looked out for Frankie. I have always done what's best for her. She doesn't need you. Frankie needs me," Magenta shouted.

"Is this what Frankie needs? If you do this Magenta, you are going to be locked away. Frankie will never be free because of what you did. Please stop. It's over," Barry said.

Magenta looked at him for any sign of deceit. When she didn't find any, she let out a tearful sob and used her powers to carry the boat back into the water.

With the ship gone, Jesse could stop running. The roof glowing with the embers of her speed trail in a singular pattern.

Magenta's eyes faded to darkness and Frankie reemerged. She lunged towards Barry, seeking comfort. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…" Frankie sobbed into his chest. Repeating her mantra like it was the only thing she could say.

"It's all right. Everything is going to be alright," Barry returned the hug to the girl, patting her back.

* * *

"I don't remember much on how I got my powers," Frankie said to the team in STAR Labs.

"Just try to think back. What do you remember?" Barry asked, still disguised as The Flash.

"… I started getting dreams. Another life where I had powers. They started coming to me when I was awake too. They got so intense I wanted to do anything I could to get them to stop," Frankie recalled.

"Does the name Alchemy mean anything to you?" Cisco asked.

"Yes!" Frankie's eyes lit up in recognition. "Dr. Alchemy. He spoke to me. Said he would restore my powers. I don't know how, but I just knew where I had to go to find him. After I did, a lot of things are just a blank,"

"Do you remember where you met him?" Barry asked.

"No," Frankie shook her head. "I think I took the bus. I had to walk the rest of the way. It was dark. There might have been a train I saw,"

Barry nodded his head in thanks for any indicator to where Alchemy might be hiding. "Thanks. This will be really helpful in finding him,"

"So what happens to me now?" Frankie asked fearfully.

"I promised you and Magenta that you are never going to have to suffer again. John will never foster anymore children if we have anything to do about it." Barry promised her.

"We're going to be placing you in Coast City with my daughter Iris until we're able to get you a more permanent living situation. You'll be well taken care of there." Joe said to her, handing her a bus ticket out of Central City. "She'll meet you at the bus stop."

"Thank you so much," Frankie said. "But what if something happens and Magenta goes after somebody again?"

"Magenta is there so she can shield you from things you don't think you can handle. She's meant to protect you. But if you can face your own problems head on, you don't need her anymore." Barry told her. "I told Magenta that you're stronger than she thinks. Just don't give up on yourself and keep trying. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."

"Samuel Beckett." Harry nodded, recognizing the quote.

"Try not. Do or do not." Frankie raised her eyebrow in suspicion.

"Yoda." Cisco smiled at the quote.

Barry lightly laughed under his breath. "Anyway, you should go home and pack your bags. The bus leaves tonight. If you can think of anything else or have any concerns, you can reach us at this number." Barry wrote down the number that would connect her straight to his STAR Labs business number.

"You really trust me with this?" Frankie asked.

"You're one of us now. Part of something bigger than yourself."

"I hope you don't mind me saying that I hope I never have to use this number, and I never have to see any of you again." Frankie said. But she still pocketed the piece of paper.

"You and me both. But you can never be too careful. I hope you have a good life Frankie."

Frankie smiled at the man who saved her. "Thank you for everything you've done for me. I hope you have a good life as well,"

"I'll take you down to the station. We'll get you checked out and clear up all of this mess." Joe beckoned her to follow him.

As soon as they left, the rest of the team tried to decide what they were going to do. "Another meta created by Alchemy. That makes two. There are still 3 more to find," Cisco said.

"At least. There could be more out there that we haven't discovered or yet to be created," Caitlin corrected him.

"Should we do something about him? Technically he hasn't done anything wrong per se. So far we have an egotistical speedster and a split personality with a skewed sense of justice. We can't lock him up for creating them can we?" Barry pointed out.

"Well if you want my opinion, track him down. Keep an eye on him. He's a potential dangerous foe, or a helpful ally. It all depends on you really." Harry said.

"What he's doing is wrong. Alchemy is giving people powers, but he's not helping them with their development. It's no wonder why Clariss and Kane went mad. We need him to stop plaguing his victims with dreams until they relent and submit themselves to be given powers," Barry said.

"So what exactly are we charging him with?" Cisco asked.

"We'll figure something out. He's creating metahumans and letting them wreak havoc. And he's invading their thoughts, inflicting them with pain until they agree to meet with him. That's torture, at the very least." Barry said.

* * *

Barry was still in his STAR Labs office that night, looking over files that needed to be sorted. Business contracts and his monthly taxes that needed his attention.

His personal phone buzzed with an unknown number. Barry gave it a glance before answering it. "Hello? Who is this?"

"Flash?" a female voice said, sounding very worried.

"Frankie?" Barry recognized her voice.

"I need help. I'm in trouble. Someone is after me," Frankie informed him.

"Where are you? I'm on my way," Barry said, hurrying into his suit.

"I'm still at the bus station. I'm hiding in the bathroom."

"Who's following you? Do you know who they are?" Barry asked. The rest of the team was still in the Cortex. Barry put his phone on speaker so the rest of them could hear.

"I can't see who it is, but I can sense them with my powers. They're coming for me. A giant metal man." Frankie whispered. "Please help me,"

"I'm coming," Barry said, dashing off to the bus station. Cisco had connected the call to his headset so he could continue talking to Frankie while he was running. "Just stay where you are,"

"No! No! Stop! Please don't hurt me!" Frankie yelped.

"Frankie!" Caitlin and Cisco yelled at the call.

There was a sound of a blade as it tore into flesh on Frankie's side of the call. It was swiftly followed by a thud and then the call got disconnected.

Caitlin and Cisco both flinched at the noise and had tears collecting in their eyes as they heard the awful sound. Cisco squeezed his eyes together in an attempt to keep the tears at bay but failed. Barry angrily grunted and turned off his own headset, continuing his path to the bus station.

Once he'd arrived, Barry made his way into the girl's bathroom where Frankie said she was hiding. As Barry got deeper into the restroom, the more difficult it got for Barry to hold in his sob.

The floor and walls were completely covered in blood. A crushed phone lay haphazardly in a pool of the red liquid.

And finally Barry saw the body of Frankie Kane completely split in half. Her torso separated from the waist.

Barry dropped down on his knees and looked at the severed body of the young girl in despair. Her face etched with terror. Whatever had caused it was long gone now.

"I'm sorry," Barry whispered to her. "I couldn't save you. I didn't make it in time and I'm so sorry. I failed you."

Barry reached for her eyes and slowly closed her eye lids. He couldn't stand the sight of them.

"I'm sorry," Barry whispered one final time. "This is all my fault. You deserved better than this."

* * *

Barry was training Jesse with her new powers. The Speed Lab was a bit too small for what Barry had in store so they moved their training into the accelerator.

The two speedsters were covering every inch of the accelerator. The ground, the walls, even the roof.

Jesse was following Barry's lead. Everything he would do, Barry wanted Jesse to copy.

Once, Jesse tripped over her own feet but eventually managed to correct herself.

That was when Barry had called for them to stop.

"Sorry. That wasn't very heroic." Jesse apologized over her mishap.

"No, you need to pay attention. In the heat of a fight, you'd be dead already." Barry scolded her. "You have super speed. The world stands still to you. Even the slightest change in your movement can be the deciding factor in any fight. You need to anticipate, look to where you're going, not just where you are."

"I said I was sorry. It was a mistake," Jesse said with wide eyes.

"A mistake that could have cost you your life if this were a real fight," Barry glared at her. Mulling over his words, Barry realized something and groaned. "Oh my god, I've turned into Oliver,"

Barry left Jesse in the accelerator to think whilst he went back to his office to deal with the business side of STAR Labs.

Jesse returned to the Cortex where the rest of the team resided. "What's his deal?" Jesse asked, surprised at how tough Barry was being with her when he would usually be more calm and understanding.

"He's going through some things. Frankie Kane just died and Barry's feeling pretty responsible since she called him for help," Caitlin responded.

"I understand that, but why is he taking it out on me?" Jesse asked.

"Because now you're his responsibility as well, and he's trying to keep you safe from Frankie's fate." Cisco said. "I'm sure he'll calm down in a little bit,"

"I like this Barry." Harry claimed. "He's actually thinking ahead and trying to keep you safe."

"But he's not Barry. You know that," Caitlin said. "He's not the compassionate, caring person we all know,"

"I'm sure he'll be fine. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy this Barry while we can," Harry said.

"Well glad you're enjoying it. Barry's nitpicking every little thing I do and scolding me for the smallest mistakes," Jesse said.

"And what's the problem exactly? I told you, you weren't ready and now Barry is saying you're not ready. Maybe it's finally time to start listening to your betters," Harry said to his daughter.

"I can't believe I ever missed you." Jesse rolled her eyes at her dad. She sped off to take some time for herself away from all the criticism she was receiving.

"You know, we've missed you around here though," Cisco said to Harry.

"This place hasn't been the same without a Wells around," Caitlin agreed.

"Well if you want, why don't we just find you another Wells. Let's get to work," Harry said.

* * *

A new meta duo had appeared in town. Sam Scudder, who'd appeared after being missing for 3 years, and Rosalind Dillon, who broke out of Iron Heights.

Scudder had the ability to travel through any reflective surface and bring anyone or anything along with him. This earned him the name of Mirror Master from Harry, who experienced a similar villain on his own Earth. But the villain from Earth-2 didn't have any apparent powers. His name actually came from the fact he had a weapon that erased the third dimension in objects.

Dillon actually had mental powers that caused anyone who looked into her eyes to experience heavy vertigo. Cisco hurriedly named her Top so as to not have his thunder stolen from Harry.

The two of them used to be partners with Snart, but with him out of the way, they decided to strike out on their own.

Barry, and with the help of Jesse, they were able to stop them within the day. They had a minor mishap with Barry being stuck in a mirror, but with Caitlin's powers, they were able to slow the molecules in the mirror enough for Barry to phase out of it.

Jesse decided to take Barry's advice to heart and was able to handily defeat Dillon before her vertigo got any worse.

Barry managed to trap Scudder in an infinite loop of mirrors that prevented him from leaving with his powers. And there was no way Scudder could hope to run away from The Flash.

All the while Cisco, Caitlin, and Harry were trying to determine which Wells in the multiverse would be a good fit for the team. They had finally decided on the Wells from Earth-19.

When they finally met, this Wells wasn't anything like the others that they met. "A Wells with a sense of humour," Cisco commented after Wells made a dramatic entrance. "That's new."

"You can call me HR," HR said.

"HR it is. This is the team. That's Dr. Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon, and our resident speedster Barry Allen. And this is my daughter Jesse," Harry introduced them all.

HR greeted them all with a handshake and a clap on the back of their hands, which was the customary greeting on Earth-19 apparently.

"And last thing before I go, never ever, under any circumstances should you ever-" Harry was about to say before he was cut off by Jesse speeding the both of them through the breach to Earth-2.

"Oh my god, what was he going to say? Right? Isn't that what we're all thinking? He's saying something super important and then he's gone and we're all like 'What was he gonna say?' Am I right?" HR had a humorous smile on his face and sighed. "Oh well. I am starving. Do you guys have a Big Belly Burger?"

"Some things stay the same," Caitlin commented fondly.

"Seriously, I'm famished," HR insisted.

* * *

**Well, hope you all enjoyed that. I know the fate of Frankie was a little sad, especially for Christmas, but I didn't plan on posting this on Christmas. On another note, in case if it wasn't clear, Savitar is still the big bad of the season, but I'm obviously going to be writing him differently. I'm probably going to introduce Savitar in 3-4 chapters.**

**The main problem I had with Savitar is that the writers gave him such a good backstory and godly speed. But then they just made him out as nothing but a whining brat and his speed was just on average to Barry when he escaped the Speed Force. I am going to be keeping Savitar up to form and making him a different person based on such a cliche plot that I wonder how soon it's going to take for any of you to guess what it is or if I can keep the charade up until the reveal.**

**Anyway, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I'll see you all in 2021!**


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